Midgar Med
by B.Simone
Summary: Midgar Regional Medical Center is home to the most prestigious doctors in the area. What happens when love sparks between the doctors! Read to find out! TifaxSephirothxRufus YuffiexCloudxVinxent Zack Aerith
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! So I decided to take a crack at writing. A few things you should know about this story is that it is completely AU, there are characters that are OOC. So because of that, don't jump me for things that would absolutely never happen in the FF VII world, these are things I know already! Zack and Aerith are alive and the pairings will change and bounce around a bit. Be prepared! Hope that you like it! :)**

* * *

Indescribable exhaustion was the only feeling Tifa could process within her otherwise numbed body and mind. Whether it was the harsh fluorescent lights that beat down on her for more than twelve hours straight or the fact that during those twelve hours she had been on her feet, dealing with a dose of patients that were more difficult than usual. Midgar Regional Medical Center had a notorious reputation for deflating even the most prestigious medical professionals in the business, and Tifa Lockhart was one of its most lovely victims.

As rare as it was for most to even dream of, Tifa breezed through med school like it was nothing, she had a natural knack for things and was always at the top of her class. Doctoring ran in the family, and her father would be remiss and highly disappointed had Tifa not followed in his footsteps. Of course the the twenty-nine year old hadn't followed exactly, her father, Nagano, had been one of Midgar's highest earning surgeons. Of course now that her father was Chief of Medicine, Tifa was able to land her very own position and office at the hospital working in her own specialty she had chosen. Tifa had steered away from surgery and settled for obstetrics. This meant her days were packed full of a fair share of predictable, and unpredictable events. Whether it was delivering a baby, or delivering the devastating news of a patient not having the ability to even conceive, she wouldn't trade it for the world.

The day had been far too long, and as much as she would like one more glass of wine, she knew she needed to get herself to bed. Tomorrow held a number of things that would keep her on her toes.

* * *

"Good morning, Teef!" Shouted a voice from the doorway that was far too chipper for Tifa's liking this early in the day. "Ready for work? I got these new scrubs, they have cute little pandas on them!" She twirled around in the doorway, her shoulder length ebony tresses twirling in sync with her motion.

"Yuffie," Tifa groaned while rubbing her tired maroon colored eyes. "How you manage to continue breaking into my apartment is beyond me."

Yuffie Kisaragi had been a labor and delivery nurse for about two years. Her personality was great for it, she was always bursting with energy and she always knew just what to say. Tifa asked her to become her permanent nurse once she noted the incredible talent the young girl possessed.

"How many times do I have to remind you that you gave me a key?" Chimed the nurse. "Besides, I brought you a coffee."

It didn't take long for Tifa to emerge from her nice warm bed after hearing the word 'coffee'. She took a good look at her friend standing eagerly in the doorway. Tifa had never expected to grow so fond of someone who couldn't be more different than herself, but Yuffie's friendship was something that Tifa truly cherished since the two had been working together. Tifa found herself being quite grateful for the spunky little nurse being in her life, because her life was lonely and a little dull outside the walls of the hospital. Being so busy, she hardly had time for any relationships.

Yuffie watched her older friend get out of bed, her long dark tresses a disaster from the sleep that she probably needed more of. She let out a small giggle before making her way down the stair case of the apartment, circling around to the kitchen where she had thoughtfully placed their coffee. They'd been friends for almost a year now, she and Tifa. Yuffie couldn't help but feel thankful for Tifa's guidance and wisdom. She was like the older sister Yuffie had always dreamed of having, having grown up as an orphan with no real family of her own.

Yuffie worked incredibly hard to get where she was today, and she was proud of it. She has managed to do pay for her schooling by working multiple jobs day and night shift. She was only twenty-three and had a very successful and fulfilling career. Befriending Tifa just made things even more fulfilling.

She looked down at the paper cups of coffee and smiled a little, this had always been their tradition, coffee before work. And Yuffie had a feeling they would really be needing it this morning.

* * *

The duo walked into the hospital that morning like usual. Both looking professional, and both emanating their own shades of confidence and beauty. Yuffie always noticed the looks they received, but Tifa didn't. Yuffie noted that Tifa hadn't been on a date since she and her last boyfriend broke up. She failed to mention any details about the man other than the fact that he had some emotional scarring. And the break up was over five years ago. Yuffie longed to get Tifa back on the horse and see her in w real, exciting relationship, but focusing too much on Tifa's love life would have to wait, Yuffie had to worry about her own. She certainly had her eye on someone special.

Various hospital employees typically waved them hello and greeted them warmly upon their arrival, but today the air in the hospital was drastically different. Thick and heavy, like something had just taken a major shift. It was as though everyone they passed on the way to their office was in a daze or whispering among themselves and looking around with shifty eyes.

Both Tifa and Yuffie picked up on this odd behavior, and exchanged quizzical looks with one another before reaching the fifth floor where their office resided. Tifa was quick to get settled in and started looking through her appointments to see what the day would hold, paying no mind to the odd behavior of what seemed to be the entire hospital staff.

Meanwhile, Yuffie went to investigate knowing she had at least fifteen minutes before their first appointment started. "Be back in a Jiff, Tifa! " She chimed before quickly turning on her heel and heading down to the nurses station. She didn't figure the other nurses in the labor and delivery unit would know, since it was a closed off and secure unit, but it was worth a shot.

She approached the desk with a charming smile as several different possibilities ran through her mind. Perhaps they were updating the cafeteria menu? Better coffee machines in the break rooms?

"Hey there, Cindy." Yuffie said as she propped her elbows up on the counter of the desk and rested her chin cutely in her hands. She looked on the older nurse with curiosity swirling rampantly in her dark eyes.

The gray woman looked up at her and shook her head in annoyance. "What is it, Yuffie?" She groaned. "It's shift change and I'm a little busy."

At that moment Yuffie realized she probably shouldn't have approached the oldest nurse in the hospital about a matter that she probably didn't even care about. But Yuffie was already there, so she took the plunge. "What's all the whispering about this morning? I can tell somethings up." She tried to ask in a way that made Cindy feel as though she was important, and close with Yuffie, this way she could extract as much information as possible.

Nurse Cindy wasn't having that. She simply rolled her tired eyes and walked away from Yuffie in a huff.

"Damn." Yuffie muttered to herself before being tapped on the shoulder from behind. She turned around quickly to find another nurse from their unit. Jessie. Her Amber eyes were filled with something exciting and enchanting, and the smirk plastered on her face told Yuffie that she had the information she sad looking for.

"There's a new attending surgeon who started today.." The girl started. She was nearly bouncing up and down with excitement. "He is so handsome!"

Yuffie could tell that Jessie was suppressing the urge to squeal like a school girl at that moment. But this news was indeed exciting. She found herself wondering just how handsome this man was, certainly not as handsome as Dr. Zack Fair. There just couldn't be anyone more gorgeous in the hospital. And most definitely not as handsome as Yuffie's crush, her next door neighbor whom had just returned home from the military. She found herself drifting off in thoughts about the spiky haired blonde before quickly being snapped back to reality by her colleague.

"There he is!" Jessie exclaimed as happily but as quietly as possible as the elevator doors to the ward opened slowly.

Yuffie turned around slowly, her heart thumped just from the anticipation. She then witnessed Tifa's father, Nagano in his dapper suit and tie, standing next to a man who was much taller in stature than he. The first thing that caught Yuffie's eye was the man's long silver tresses that stopped about he middle of his back, followed by his long, defined legs adorned in black dress pants. Her eyes trailed up, revealing a tight fitting white button up shirt, where you didn't have to imagine how physically fit the man was by any means. And then, there were his eyes. They were similar to the ones her crush adorned, but they held more confidence than she could ever dream of imagining. The mans face was slightly harsh in expression, and his features were the epitome of masculine.

"Yuffie, good morning." Came the familiar chief of Medicine's voice.

Yuffie had been so wrapped up in staring the man down, she hadn't realized that he and the Cheif were approaching. She quickly stood up straight and smoothed out the midsection of her scrubs. Jessie was long gone, leaving Yuffie standing there awkwardly.

"This is our newest attending surgeon, Dr. Sephiroth. I was just giving him a tour of the facility and thought I would introduce him to you and Dr. Lockhart." At that, Nagano turned his head to the silver haired surgeon and smiled, Dr. Lockhart is my daughter."

The man had yet to speak or reply, but he gave Yuffie a slight nod, and then a nod to Nagano before the three made their way to Tifa's office.

Yuffie tagged behind them, silently wondering if Mr. Lockhart was beginning it gave an itch for grand babies. Seemed to Yuffie like this was some sort of set up, because the Cheif very rarely called Tifa his daughter, mostly because everyone knew, but also for the sake of professionalism.

Tifa was at her desk in her office across from the examination room, scrutinizing her computer screen. She gritted her teeth and shook her head before pinching the bridge of her nose. She left the hospital yesterday feeling as though she had a full day of patients and a possible delivery should Mrs. Bassinger's baby decide they today was the day. But, though she was the most well-known gynecologist in Midgar, once the single women caught wind of a male gynecologist who happened to be extremely handsome, her patients quickly jumped ship.

"Dammit, Zack!" She exclaimed as she stood from her desk. She whipped around and stride toward the door, preparing to give the man a serious lashing when she noticed her father standing next to a man whom she had never seen before...


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi there. Me again. I'm not sure if anyone is reading yet, but I wanted to get this second chapter out to sort of get the ball rolling on this story so far. I hope you enjoy! Please review and favorite if you like! Of course I know that the fan base for FF VII is an older group of people, and the likelihood of them still being on fan fiction is very small.. Still.. Enjoy!**

* * *

When the surgeon caught glimpse of the Chief of Medicine's daughter, he found her to be surprisingly more attractive than he had imagined she would be. Long legs, toned body and a gorgeous face. Sephiroth was typically hard to impress, he had extremely high standards when it came to women. But this woman met those standards and then some, but of course only if she was intelligent enough. She got through med school, so this was very likely.

Of course, he knew there were ulterior motives for the Chief when he very blatantly noted that this woman was his daughter. Judging by the lack of ring on her left hand, Sephiroth deducted that this was some sort of setup attempt. This could mean that the daughter had been through this before, thus meaning she would immediately reject him just based upon the fact that her father was trying to set them up. Then again, Sephiroth never said he was looking for anyone.

"Tifa," Nagano Lockhart rasped in a very dominant and rather brash sounding voice, "is something the matter?" He looked upon his daughter, seemingly embarrassed that the very prestigious surgeon had just witnessed his daughter's ridiculous outburst.

Tifa looked at her father with an inquisitive expression, paying no mind to the tone in his voice when he asked the question. Her gaze shifted to the man beside him. Seemed like some kind of stud, Tifa had seen this before. However, this man was different than the rest of the men that her father had innocently 'introduced' to her. Tifa couldn't tell if he was even the slightest bit interested in her, at least in a sexual kind of way, because his expression remained rather stern and unchanging. It didn't matter, Tifa wasn't in the mood to even think about the situation at all. She had a fellow attending to strangle.

"No, Chief," she stated, making sure she said it firmly. Her father needed to know that she meant to keep things professional, no matter what. "Sorry about the outburst. Can I help you?"

Yuffie watched from a distance, occasionally looking at the clock, and back at the strange happening that was unfolding before her. The air was tense and she was growing more and more uncomfortable. She couldn't help but feel bad for her friend now, but then again if someone was trying to set her up with someone so handsome, she wouldn't hesitate to say 'Hell yeah!' But that was Yuffie, Tifa was much different.

Nagano shifted a little, Tifa was silently telling him to back off. He would oblige, he knew he needed to respect his daughter, and her own personal choices but he didn't want to see her end up alone. "I was just showing our newest attending surgeon Dr. Sephiroth, around the hospital. I wanted to introduce you."

"Hello, Doctor." Tifa said in a warm tone as she extended her hand to the tall and silent man.

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor Lockhart." The man replied in a deep and velvety tone. He took her hand gently and glanced into her eyes for only a moment before his expression once more remained firm and unreadable. He released her hand, noting to himself that they weren't as cold as most doctor's, but warm and rather soft.

Tifa was surprisingly shaken by his voice, of course her expression wouldn't let that on. Still, she wasn't about to let anything get in her way of strangling Zack at this very moment. "Welcome to Midgar Regional Medical Center. If you two will excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

With that, the woman squeezed past the two men, gave Yuffie a look, and was off down the hallway in a matter of seconds.

Yuffie noted that the look meant 'you had better follow me now or there will be serious consequences.' She knew that look all too well. Quickly, she hopped to it, following her friend with haste. She couldn't wait to get out of the surgeon's hearing range so she could ask Tifa what she thought of him.

"So..." She inquired quietly, while nudging her friend in the ribs with her elbow.

Tifa knew that Yuffie knew what her father was trying to do, and it was the last thing Tifa wanted to think about. She needed to stay focused for when she confronted Zack. Still, she knew Yuffie all too well. Yuffie was the type of person who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. She was the type to annoy you until you broke and told her what she wanted to hear, she was just a spit fire like that. "No." Tifa said briskly. "Not interested."

"Come on!" Yuffie knew Tifa was lying. At least a little. Her friend wasn't very good at hiding things from her. Aside from that, who in their right mind wouldn't want at least a little piece of that hottie? She shook her head at the thought. "You know you.." She began, before being rudely cut off as they reached Dr. Fair's office.

"Zack!" Tifa exclaimed as she walked, completely uninvited, into his office.

The dark haired man had been sitting peacefully in his office, minding his own business when the woman barged in. And he immediately knew what this was about, he spun around in his rolling chair, crossed one leg over the other and put both hands behind his head while he reclined a bit. "Well, good morning to you too, Tifa. I like how we call each other by our first names now, it's kinda cute."

It was no secret that there was a strange tension between these two. They pretended to hate each other, but deep down, everyone knew they kind of liked one another. Though Zack was a happily married man, he was flirtatious in nature, and Tifa wasn't the only woman he teased at work.

"You know why I'm here, don't you?" The brunette asked as she folded her arms across her chest. "Zack that makes four patients you've taken from me in the last two months. You can't keep snagging them!" She was quite angry, you could see it in her eyes.

Yuffie loved it when these two fought. They were like the mom and dad of the labor and delivery unit, and all the nurses were the children of their troubled, fictional marriage. She always got a kick out of their interactions, because they were never very boring. She leaned against the doorframe and watched the events unfold, wishing she had some popcorn.

"You know I don't take them intentionally, Tifa." Zack stated, now sitting up in his chair and letting his arms fall to his sides. He gave the girl a sympathetic look, mainly because he didn't have time to play fight this morning, his first patient was likely due any moment. "They just transfer to me because the majority of them are single women, looking for a man, and when they find out I'm married, they want to jump ship back to you, but usually they feel too bad that they left you in the first place." The man offered her a smile as he watched her expression soften, ever so slightly. "Look Tifa, you're a great doctor. It has nothing to do with that."

Tifa let out a sigh. He was right, he didn't really have control of what her patients did, and he couldn't help the fact that he was so handsome. "Just don't go by my office when I have patients, I don't want them seeing your face." She stated before turning on her heel and heading back to her own office.

"Does this mean you think I'm cute?!" Zack hollered from the doorway.

Tifa shook her head, and fought the urge to give him the one-finger salute. Meanwhile, Yuffie let out a small giggle and followed Tifa back to their office to get ready for the day.

Little did Tifa or Yuffie know, the two of them had not been the only ones to witness or overhead the altercation between the doctors. Mr. Lockhart had been visiting another office nearby with Dr. Sephiroth during the time of their conversation. And both men took note of what had happened.

* * *

Yuffie was completely wiped out that evening, even getting out of her car was a challenge. She and Tifa had a surprise delivery that day, and the poor woman was in labor for quite some time. Delivering babies was a tiring task, because she had to make sure that not only the mother was very well taken care of, but also that all of Tifa's immediate needs were taken care of. Anything can happen in the delivery room, which meant that there has to be much preparation.

The young nurse opened her car door and got out of the vehicle, grabbing her purse and slinging It tiredly over her shoulder. The last thing she expected was to run into a wall the second she turned around. Yuffie had hit something so hard, she bounced back into her car door. She shook her head and realized what she had run into wasn't a wall at all, it was in fact her neighbor, Cloud. And after realizing she had run smack dab into the handsome, stoic man, she then realized she had parked in his driveway, right next to his car.

Yuffie's cheeks reddened in embarrassment as both apologized at the same time.

"I'm so sorry!" Yuffie exclaimed. "I am so tired, I didn't even notice that I was at the wrong house." Nervously, she tucked her hair behind her ears and sheepishly looked away. Her shy behavior surprising even herself.

The blonde man looked upon her with a soft expression, noting that he understood the look of exhaustion when he saw it. He had been in the military for four years now, and that was enough to drain him on a daily basis, let alone four years. He couldn't help but notice as he gazed upon the girl, how cute and petite she was, she had beautiful features.

Cloud knew that he needed a fresh start after returning home from the military, he needed some positivity in his life, and perhaps, he thought, it had just run into him.

Meanwhile, Yuffie had decided that perhaps running into him had been more than coincidence. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she had been checking him out and eyeballing him since the day he moved in next to her. And seeing her friend Tifa live such a lonely life, she realized that if she didn't do something soon, she would end up just like her closest friend. So she mustered up courage from the deepest depths of herself and looked up at the man with a charming spark in her eye.

"You know, would you wanna get coffee sometime?" She asked with a smile.

Cloud let out a small chuckle, he didn't mean to, he couldn't help it. As soon as he did, her entire countenance changed. Like she had been instantly deflated, but he spoke quickly after that. "I was just about to ask you the same, Yuffie." It was funny, this was the most they had interacted since the first time they met at the mailboxes, and the most words that had been exchanged. He found it funny and a little exciting that she had been the first to make a move, but he wasn't offended that she beat him to it, he actually found it quite attractive.

When she heard him say that he was about to ask her, something rose within her, butterflies were filling her stomach and she could feel her cheeks grow warmer by the second. She was excited, happy, nervous and thrilled all at the same time. "So, is that a yes?" She asked, playing it cool and hoping her excitement wasn't as evident to him.

"It's most definitely a yes." Cloud replied confidently. "How's tomorrow morning sound? I'll stop by and pick you up."

Yuffie was inwardly jumping for joy, but again she played it cool. "Sounds good." She said with a smile. She couldn't help but notice just how beautiful his eyes looked in the moonlight. Inside she was wondering if he was thinking the same about her.

He was. Cloud hadn't really felt this way in a long time. Sure he just met the girl, but he had a feeling that this was the start of something good.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! So because I have yet to recieve any reviews, I've seriously considered discontinuing this story. However, I like to finish what I start but if you are reading, even though I know that this story has very few readers, and you like it please leave a review it really encourages me! Thanks!**

* * *

She would never admit it to anyone, but Yuffie had spent a great deal of time the night before trying on different outfits for her coffee date this morning. She had finally settled on a dark pair of fitted jeans, a pair of gray boots that went to the top of her shins, and a tight fitting white tee shirt with a dark green and gray striped open side tailed cardigan. She was dressed appropriately for the fall weather, she certainly loved this time of year.

She made herself up with simple make up, light foundation, a little liner and mascara and finished it off with a light pink lip gloss. Her hair, of course, she kept the same. Parted to the right and silky smooth and straight.

She'd have asked Tifa if her outfit looked good, but she knew her doctor friend had been on call that evening at the hospital, and probably hadn't slept a wink. So she had to rely on her own judgment, and trust that she looked good enough.

Yuffie was nervous, she couldn't explain why. Typically, she had no problem telling anyone how she felt about anything, and she didn't tend to be afraid of much. But the thought of going on a date with Mr. Handsome Pants Military Man, terrified her. Maybe it was due to the fact that she was getting a little older, and the thought of flings really didn't interest her anymore, she felt like maybe it was time to peruse a more serious relationship, and that was a big step for anyone. Let alone, Miss Independent Yuffie Kisaragi.

What would she talk about? What questions might he ask her? Would they even really have anything in common? Yuffie let out a shaky sigh before nearly jumping out of her skin when she heard a knock at the door. _Here we go..._ She thought to herself.

The young nurse took a deep breath before walking from the bathroom down the hall and to the living room. She swiped her purse from the couch and approached the door. _You've got this.. Just coffee. It's harmless._

Cloud looked so handsome, Yuffie took notice after opening her door to greet him with friendly smile and a chipper 'good morning.' He wore dark jeans that fit his body well, a dark colored tee under a black leather jacket. His sandy locks were so chaotic yet seemingly strategic in placement and his cerulean eyes silently screamed something adventurous. It was enough for Yuffie to possibly need cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

"Good morning, Yuffie." Cloud offered kindly with a slant of the lips. He noted that she looked that she looked rather cute in normal clothing. He had yet to see her in anything other than scrubs until now. "You look good."

Yuffie tried as hard as she possibly could to keep herself from blushing, but still the slight tinge of pink crept up onto her fair cheeks. "Thanks!" She offered with a smile. "So, you ready?"

Cloud nodded with a smile of his own and walked with her all of the three yards over to his driveway. Afterward he opened the garage, where Yuffie laid eyes on the most gorgeous, dangerous and exciting looking piece of machinery she had ever seen.

The blonde straddled the bike and backed it out of the garage before closing the door behind him and offering the excited nurse an extra helmet and a smirk.

To Cloud, as Yuffie took the helmet, she seemed a bit hesitant at first. He was just about to ask her if she was alright but then the girl confidently took the helmet, placed it on her head and hopped on the bike behind him. He felt his cheeks begin to heat up when her dainty arms wrapped themselves around his waist. With that, he started up the bike and they were off.

* * *

Tifa's heart was still racing from the traumatic events that had just unfolded in the delivery room she was walking out of. She was desperately trying to remain calm as she did so, but even though mother and baby we're both fine now, she was still a little shaken up.

She was forced to perform an emergency Caesarian after the babies heart rate plummeted, there had been a mix up in medications given to the mother, and she received Misoprostol for her induction. Tifa hated the drug, it was linked to many complications. She preferred to induce women, if induction was needed, in a more natural way. Neither Tifa, nor Zack had been there when the mother was induced, otherwise it may not have happened that way.

She let out a heavy sigh as she headed to her office. Unfortunately for her, even after being on call all night, she still had to work the day after, and what was worse was that it was Yuffie's day off. Tifa didn't enjoy days without Yuffie, it meant she was stuck with whatever nurse was available. Thankfully, today it was Jessie, which was her second pick after Yuffie.

"You alright there, Doc?" Chimed said nurse as they both reached Tifa's office. Jessie's expression seemed rather concerned, prompting Tifa to wonder how distraught her own face must've looked.

The weary Doctor nodded and smiled, "I'm good. Just a little tired is all." She replied, and offered the nurse a reassuring look.

"I'll go get you a coffee. I think I remember how ya like it. You've got a good thirty minutes before your next one. Yes, I memorized your charts for the day!" Jessie smiled and winked before turning on her heel to fetch the doctor her much needed coffee.

Tifa smiled after the girl with a thankful feeling within her. Jessie was always efficient, she liked that about her. Letting out yet another exasperated sigh, the woman was about to take a seat at her desk to review her charts, but stopped when she noticed a gorgeous flower arrangement inside a crystal vase sitting atop her desk, obstructing the view of her computer.

The arrangement lacked color, but was still quite elegant. A few sprigs of baby's breath surrounded the bouquet of pale lavender scarlet pimpernel, white oleander, and pink common mallow. It seemed to Tifa like the arrangement was well-thought out. She scratched her head and glanced at the calendar on her wall. It wasn't her birthday, so the flowers wouldn't have come from her father. But there was no card or note attached to them, so she had no choice but to wonder who may have sent them.

"Oh, someone's got an admirer!" Came Dr. Fair's teasing voice from her doorway.

Tifa whipped around and placed a hand on her hip. "Did you send these to mess with me? Come on Zack."

Zack leaned his body against the door and his lips crept into a sly smirk. "Now Tifa, I know you've got a little crush on me but trust me, I did not send you those little flowers."

"First of all," Tifa started, as her temper started to rise slightly, "I most certainly do NOT have a crush on you. Secondly, if you didn't send them, who did?" Now the girl was starting to worry ever so slightly. She had no one in her life who would do such a thing, at least if it had been a joke from Zack, she could accept it.

"Beats the hell outta me, Tifa." The man replied as he shrugged his broad shoulders.

Tifa decided not to push the matter with Zack any further. "Okay, so what are you doing in my office?"

"I'm meeting Aerith here, we've got an appointment with you."

* * *

You can tell a lot about a person by the type of coffee they drink. Sugary drinks that drown the actual taste of coffee were typically drinks young females drank, pointing to immaturity and adolescence. Fancy, complicated drinks just screamed high maintenance. Drinks that were too simple made one seem a little uneducated or perhaps intimidated by the coffee house menu. But a flavored latte was just perfect. For any coffee lover.

Cloud and Yuffie settled comfortably in a booth in the corner of the cafe that neared a window they could see the city from. They sat across from one another in a few moments of silence as both sipped their coffee, taking in the calming atmosphere they were dwelling in.

"So, how long are you in Midgar for?" Yuffie inquired curiously. She was asking because she knew that he was in the military, meaning he could be gone within a matter of months and she would be wasting her time getting to know him.

Cloud was wise to what Yuffie was really asking about, and he wasn't really one for beating around the bush. He preferred to be more direct about those type of things. "I'll be here a while," he started as he looked up from his paper coffee cup and over at the girl across from him. "I just got a job here in town."

"Really?" The excited tone in her voice was undisguised. "That's exciting. Where at?"

"For an entrepreneur named Rufus Shinra." Cloud replied before taking a sip of his coffee.

Yuffie had heard of the man before, in fact he was on the board of directors at the hospital. Frankly, the man gave her the creeps. Either way, it didn't matter to her. She now had her answer, Cloud was going to be in town for a while, meaning that pursuing a relationship was not out of the question. "Oh, cool." Yuffie responded with a smile.

"So, Yuffie," Cloud started, "Tell me about yourself." The blonde quirked s light brow at her, giving her an inquisitive expression.

Yuffie noted just how cute the man looked when he was curious, prompting a small giggle from her. "What would you like to know?"

"Okay," Cloud smirked for the second time that day at the rather gorgeous girl before him, "What made you want to become a nurse?"

Yuffie then went on to explain her reasoning behind her career choice, followed by a bit of her background as a youth. They talked for several hours in that cafe, growing closer, and getting to know one another on a friendly and comfortable level.

They equally enjoyed one another's company, and they were not afraid to admit it to each other either. They exchanged stories, laughed and discovered several things they had in common. They both shared the same taste in music, movies and most foods, and they had similar personalities as far as sense of humor was concerned, despite the fact that Cloud had a more stoic demeanor.

Yuffie was thrilled that she seemingly found w decent young man in her town that didn't immediately want to get into her pants, but rather get to know her first on a personal level. And she genuinely appreciated that about Cloud.

"We should do this again sometime, Yuffie." The blonde stated as he walked his date to her door. He had to admit, this was the most fun he'd had in a very long time. It seemed as though the two of them just clicked. They had chemistry. Something he hadn't experienced with anyone in quite some time.

Yuffie smiled at him and turned her back to her door. "How about dinner at my place tomorrow night? I'll cook, and we can watch a movie? You can pick the movie." She giggled, recalling their flirtatious argument concerning who's favorite movie was better.

"It's a date, Yuffie." He paused before saying her name that time, but when he said it it nearly left the girl breathless. It was hey way he said it. It sounded romantic, sweet and like he genuinely cared.

"See you then, blondie." Yuffie teased before placing a quick peck on his cheek and making a mad dash inside of her home, closing the door behind her and sighing like a teenager after experiencing her first magical prom night.

* * *

Tifa had no idea that Zack's wife Aerith was expecting. Needless to say, when Zack told Tifa that his wife was her next appointment, She was a little shocked. But it was about time, considering they had been married for about four years now.

Tifa had Jessie get a weight check on the beautiful brunette girl, followed by s blood pressure check and a few preliminary questions as she prepared her examination room. It would be awkward to have Zack watching her give his wife a pelvic exam and ultrasound, she felt as though he would be judging her ever single move. But because he was the father, and she was his wife, he wasn't allowed to be her doctor. So this meant Tifa would be overseeing their entire pregnancy.

She knew it would be weird, but she would just have to deal with it. She laid out a gown and sheet on the examination table before walking out of the room and greeting both Zack and Aerith in Yuffie's small office where she got the basic information. Jessie handed Tifa a clip board with the numbers she had taken and smiled.

"Okay Mrs. Fair, go ahead and get changed into the gown, and cover yourself with a sheet. I'll be in shortly." Tifa offered kindly before stepping back into her office to take a look at what information Jessie had gathered.

She sat at her desk after watching Aerith and Zack disappear into the examination room and looked down at the chart. Judging from when the woman's last period was, she was only about nine weeks along. Her blood pressure was good, and her weight was quite healthy. Tifa saw no concerns there. Her urine analysis had come back normal, so Tifa was happy with what she saw.

She entered the initial information into her laptop before walking to the examination room and knocking on the door. With Aerith's OK she walked in and greeted the couple. It was already awkward. Zack was seated on Tifa's stool waiting with his arms behind his head while his wife sat nervously on the table, covering herself up as best she could with the sheet.

"Dr. Fair, please have a seat in the chairs provided for family." Tifa's voice had a warning tone as she stood over him.

Zack was quick to respond and Tifa took his place and put her laptop on her lap. "Well it looks like you're about nine weeks along, Mrs. Fair. Of course the ultrasound will tell us a more accurate measurement." Tifa started.

The doctor then began a routine pelvic exam on the girl, checking her cervix and making sure all was as it should be before performing a breast exam.

At the time Tifa was performing a breast exam on his wife. Dr. Fair's pager went off and he excused himself from the room for a moment.

"Everything is looking good, Mrs. Fair. Your cervix is nice and firm, and I'm sure you feel your breasts starting to get a little more tender." Tifa began as she discarded her gloves and rolled out her ultrasound machine. But she couldn't help but notice the distraught look on the woman's face.

Aerith was s beautiful young woman, who was as caring and sweet as they come. Any experience Tifa had with her was always positive.

"Tifa, I-I mean Doctor Lockhart.." Aerith began, nervously.

Tifa gave the woman a reassuring smile. "Oh please, call me Tifa. We've known each other for a while now. Don't worry about it." She paused. "Is something bothering you?"

The girl gulped before looking at the door and back at Tifa. "What would you do if you weren't entirely sure that your baby was your husbands?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! My goodness, thank you for the reviews! I'm so glad some people are actually reading! Thank you. I appreciate everyone's feedback. I suppose that I should state that this is also alternate reality. I'm glad that even though medical themed stories may not be everyone's cup of tea, that you continue to read anyway. Thank you all again! Please continue to review. It gives me motivation! -B**

* * *

Tifa blinked a few times as she stared at the pregnant woman in complete and total shock. Had she heard Aerith correctly? The woman really wasn't sure that the child she was carrying belonged to Zack?! Turning her body to face Aerith, she finally spoke. "Excuse me?" She could feel her stomach churning at the possibility that her friend's heart was on the line.

The mother to be sat up slightly and looked at Tifa with pleading green eyes. "I made a mistake a few months back, and there's a chance this baby isn't Zack's. Please don't tell him."

"Mistake? Aerith Zack loves you more than anyone ever could. How could you do this to him?" Tifa couldn't hold in her anger any longer. Sure, Zack was in a way her rival at work, but it never stopped them from being friends. Tifa cared about him, and he didn't deserve this.

Aerith knew right away who's side Tifa had taken, and she knew what cards to play if this had happened. "You can't tell him. You'd be breaking Doctor Patient Confidentiality. And I would get you fired." She finished her statement with a sly smirk Tifa wouldn't have ever expected the girl to possess. This was a totally new and dark side of Aerith she had never experienced before.

But, unfortunately for Zack, Tifa could do nothing. Aerith was right, Tifa was bound by law to keep her mouth shut. And she would abide, no matter how difficult it was. "Then you should tell him." She said firmly, as if not to seem as defeated as she felt. She kept a stern and unchanging expression, locking eyes with the adulterer.

"I know that you can do testing to find out if it's his or not before the baby is born. If I find out it's not his, I will tell him." The woman responded as she shifted uncomfortably on the bed. She knew Zack could return at any moment, and she wanted this sorted out beforehand.

"I will not do a procedure like that solely to find out who the father is. It's dangerous and I can make that call." Tifa put her foot down and gave the girl a cold look that said she had better not press her luck.

It was at that moment that Zack fair returned to the room with a smile on his face. "What did I miss?"

The female doctor wanted so desperately to tell Zack his wife was a cheating scum bag, but she had no choice but to pretend everything was fine. "Just about to take a look at this baby." Tifa forced herself to smile, and gave Zack a reassuring smile before continuing to set up her equipment. Typically Tifa's patients were sent to Radiology to get their ultrasounds, but because Zack was a personal friend she opted to do it herself, but she regretted it now.

Zack seemed elated about the news of becoming a father. He was glowing. The whole situation was beginning to break Tifa's heart. Fortunately for her she was ripped from the situation by an emergency page she had to answer.

* * *

Yuffie was faced with a slight dilemma. She had invited her new boyfriend over for dinner tomorrow. There was a slight problem. Yuffie couldn't cook. It wasn't like she hadn't tried. But every time she did she nearly burned her kitchen down, or poisoned herself. This wasn't good. Suddenly the young nurse began to panic.

She had no problem keeping her home clean and beautiful. Heck, she had even set the place up to look pretty nice. She had great taste in decor. She did laundry like a champ, kept up with all sorts of things. But the one thing she just couldn't do, was cook.

She went straight to her computer and researched easy and delicious recipes, but the majority of them involved preparing raw meat. This was something Yuffie was not about to do. She could call Tifa and ask for advice, but again she knew her friend was busy this week.

She was left with one option. She would have to call the man who helped bring her up.

Cid was a good father figure, he always treated Yuffie as his own. The man was rough around the edges, and Yuffie believed it made he all the better. She was a string, independent woman because of Cid. He was always there for her no matter what.

With determination, Yuffie grabbed her cell phone and plopped herself onto the kitchen counter. She dialed the number she knew by heart and waited for the raspy old familiar voice to respond on the other end.

"He kid, don't got much time to talk. Whatcha need?" The man inquired.

Yuffie could hear the sound of metal clanging together, and Cid grunted from time to time. He was probably working on another one of his cars. "I need your help." Yuffie stated while kicking her dangling feet.

The background noise seemed to disappear completely, telling Yuffie the man now had her full attention. "What sort of trouble did you get yourself into this time, kid?"

"I'm not in trouble... Well kind of." Yuffie said innocently.

"Yuffie what the hell did you do? Did you burn the hospital down?!" The man sounded frantic as he desperately tried to get answers.

"I invited my boyfriend over for dinner..." She admitted.

"Well you're screwed kid!" Cid said, followed by a hearty chuckle which quickly turned into a full blown laugh.

"Cid..." Yuffie paused, blinking in annoyance. "CID! I'm serious here. I could use your help. Please."

"Alright, alright. Just take it easy kid. When's the dinner?"

"Tomorrow night."

* * *

She hadn't slept well with the weight of the biggest secret she had ever kept still on her mind. But she proceeded with her day hoping to goodness that Aerith would find the decency to tell her husband what had happened.

But Tifa didn't have any grace for Aerith. No pity or understanding. There was no excuse for mistreating the one you love by betraying them in the worst way imaginable.

The brunette heaved a heavy sigh and got herself dressed for the day. Dark dress slacks, black closed toed heels, and a white button up blouse. Simple enough. Once her makeup was done, she grabbed a clean lab coat from her laundry room and she was out the door and off to work.

She was greeted by Yuffie in the lobby, and immediately she was glad to see her friend. Even though she couldn't tell her the news either. It would be good to have her helping Tifa out again.

"Good morning, Teef." Chimed the nurse as a warm smile crept onto her face.

"Good morning, Yuffie." Tifa replied as she raised a dark brow and headed for the elevators. "What has you in such a good mood?"

"I went on a date last night." Yuffie said with a girlish giggle that she just couldn't hold in.

Tifa smiled, "ah, a date huh? How did it go?"

"Oh it was perfect." Yuffie smiled a reminiscent smile, looking back on the simple coffee date. She was hopeful that maybe tonight they would actually exchange more than just phone numbers. At least a kiss.

Tifa didn't really pay much mind to Yuffie's date, or care to ask questions about it right now. Normally she would have, but she was still caught up in this dilemma with Zack and his wife. "I'm glad it went well. I'm happy for you." Tifa stated as the elevator doors opened to their floor.

"Me too." Yuffie replied with another happy smile. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. She felt like a young school girl.

Upon arriving at her office, Tifa noticed something oddly disturbing. The flowers on her desk from the day before had been removed and replaced with a different bouquet. The whole incident with Zack and Aerith yesterday had made her forget completely about them. Until now.

"Oh, Tifa! Who sent you these flowers!? Did you have a date too?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Yuffie squealed excitedly and rushed to the desk, examining the exquisite bouquet for some type of note. But there was none to be found.

"No.." Tifa seemed a little dazed now. "I didn't have a date." Slowly she approached the desk, unsure of who might have done this yet again. "I don't know who they are from. But they sent a different bouquet yesterday."

"That means you have a secret admirer!" Yuffie's eyes filled with wonder and excitement. Tifa's love story could be unfolding at the same time as hers. That excited the young nurse. She wanted to see Tifa loosen up a bit.

"No, I have a creep." Tifa gazed at the flowers in annoyance. She began to feel a little uneasy. Who would do something like this?

"More flowers, hm?"

Tifa turned to face the door, locking eyes with Dr. Fair once again. Once she saw him her heart sank a little. "You sure you didn't do this?" Now she was desperately hoping Zack had sent them. Any kind of answer was better than none.

"No, Doctor I did not. Seems like someone really likes you." Zack smirked and winked at the girl.

Yuffie smirked as well, looking at Zack with a little suspicion. She found herself wondering in the back of her mind if Zack and Tifa had finally acted on their feelings for one another. Neither would admit it but obviously there was something between them.

Tifa pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting off her angry and confused emotions. She needed to focus on her day, her patients. Not this petty sort of thing. But with Zack in her doorway, she could hardly focus.

"Go away, Zack. I'm busy." She waved him off, unable to even look at him. Zack shrugged it off, said goodbye to Yuffie and went to his own office.

"What's up with you and Zack, Tifa?" Yuffie asked curiously, sitting herself on Tifa's desk as the doctor reviewed her charts for the day.

Tifa shook her head. As much as she wanted to confide in someone about this situation, she couldn't. Of course Tifa knew Yuffie thought that she and Zack had secret feelings for each other, and perhaps there was a fragment of truth to that. But it was something Tifa would never act upon, and Zack wouldn't either. They had too much respect for each other, and for the sanctity of marriage. Tifa enjoyed his friendship, and wouldn't ever dream of anything more.

"Nothing, Yuffie. Don't worry about it."

"So who do you think sent these?" Yuffie delicately stroked one of the flower petals curiously. "Someone here, right?"

"It's the last thing on my mind right now." Tifa answered before realizing she hadn't been the nicest to Yuffie this morning. "Tell me about this date you had yesterday." Tifa said, turning her attention to her friend.

"Well, it was just coffee, but things went really well. We seemed to have quite a few things in common. He's a gentleman too!" Yuffie sighed happily, thinking of the blonde haired man and his magnetic blue eyes. "Not to mention he's completely gorgeous!"

Tifa smiled, "that's great! Sounds like quite the catch. You two going out again?" She inquired curiously.

Yuffie nodded excitedly. "Dinner at my place tonight."

"Dinner?" Tifa quirked a curious brow. "Are you cooking?"

"Cid helped me make a lasagna last night. All I have to do is put it in the oven. Easy enough, right?" Yuffie sounded only a little nervous about it.

"Perfect. You'll be fine. Just don't over cook it." Tifa smiled reassuringly.

"Doctor.." Came a nervous female voice from the doorway. It was the radiologist with a folder tucked beneath her arm.

"Is everything okay?" Tifa said, standing up. She didn't like the look that Vanessa had on her face. Something was wrong with one of her patients. She could feel it.

"Your patient, Elena. Something is wrong with her baby." The woman entered the office and handed her the folder.

Tifa quickly stood and took the folder. Upon opening it, her heart sank. It was a fairly severe case of spina bifida. The baby's spinal chord was failing to develop properly. This meant she had to deliver the news to the mother. Cases like this were always difficult. Sometimes the parents opted not to keep the child, not much can be done. Tifa knew of s surgical procedure that greatly improved the child's chances of walking normally. However, she didn't think they offered that here.

"Yuffie, take care of our first patient. If you need to have Zack see her, go ahead. I may be a while."

Tifa proceeded downstairs to greet the mother with the news. She took it a little better than Tifa expected. And much to Tifa's relief, she wanted to keep the child. Tifa explained her options, and told her about the potential for surgery.

"I'm not sure that we offer that here, but I will look into hospitals that do, and I will get you transferred. Can you wait here while I consult the Chief of Medicine about this?"

"Yes, thank you so much doctor." The woman dried her eyes, and gave Tifa a weak but thankful smile.

Tifa nodded to her and gave her a sympathetic smile before making her way to her father' office. She hoped he knew of a good facility where the surgery on the baby could be done.

She was a little nervous to speak with her father since their last interaction, she knew he was trying to set her up with that surgeon.

"Hey," she said kindly as she peaked her head into her father's office. "You busy?"

Nagano rose from his desk and smiled warmly at his daughter. "Never too busy for my favorite doctor. Come in!"

Tifa walked into the office, closing the door behind her. "I've got a patient who's unborn baby has a severe case of spina bifida. The baby needs fetal surgery to close the hole in her spine. Do you have a recommendation on a facility we can transfer her to?" She inquired as she showed the ultrasound photos to her father.

Nagano took a look at them and shook his head, "well right here, Tifa." He looked up at his daughter and smiled. "Dr. Sephiroth has specialized in fetal surgery. He can do this. You should consult with him."

Tifa wondered immediately if he was lying just to get Tifa to talk to the man, but if this was serious, of course she would do anything for her patient. "Do you think he's capable of fixing something like this?"

"Absolutely Tifa, but you should ask him."

Tifa nodded, took the file and proceeded to the surgical wing of the hospital. She was nervous, and found herself wondering why. She did hope he wasn't in the middle of surgery, she wanted to give her poor patient some peace of mind.

She clutched the file a little more closely as she stepped off the elevator and approached the nurses station there.

"What brings an OB/GYN to the surgical wing?" The head nurse inquired as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I need a surgical consult with Dr. Sephiroth, it's fairly urgent." Tifa said firmly. Not too pleased with the way the nurse was currently treating her. What was her problem?

"He's a little busy, currently in surgery." The nurse replied.

"Actually," came a deep, smooth voice from behind, "I've just finished."

Tifa turned around and when she did she felt her chest tighten. There he was. Tall, handsome and stoic, just as before. This time, he wasn't wearing dress clothes, he was wearing green surgical scrubs. And his silvery locks weren't down and flowing freely, they were nearly tied back. He looked more approachable this way. Perhaps because Tifa was more used to people in 'hospital attire.'

"Hello, Doctor. May I speak with you?" She inquired, surprised at how shy she sounded. She inwardly scolded herself for that.

"Of course, we can talk in my office." He replied before turning his back to her and walking down the hallway.

Tifa looked back at the nurse with a scoff before following him. It was impressive that he was already an attending with his own office, most surgeons had to fight for that. He must be good. She noted.

They arrived at his office shortly, and once inside Tifa noted that the man had good taste. The office lacked color, but was elegant in its own way. He had a large mahogany desk, no trinkets or photos sat on top. Just his computer, phone and simple office items like a stapler, tape and pens.

The man walked behind his desk and took a seat, gesturing with his hand for Tifa to take a seat across from him. "What can I do for you, Dr. Lockhart?"

Tifa was finding it odd that her heart rate was elevated. She was angry with herself for getting flustered so easily, but still she pushed it aside and sat down. "My patient, Elena, has a child with a severe birth defect. Her baby has spina bifida. It's bad enough to require fetal surgery in hopes of improving her baby's chances of walking and leading a normal life." Tifa laid out the sonogram for him, and studied his face carefully. His expression didn't change once as he looked over the sonogram.

"Hm." He said quietly, continuing to look it over. "I've never seen one so severe. Surgery is definitely needed. She's ten weeks?"

Tifa had to admit she was very impressed with the fact that he could tell how old the baby was by looking at the ultrasound. He had a good eye. "Yes. Ten exactly."

"She's a good candidate for surgery. I think it can be done." He said confidently before setting the sonogram back down and looking at the doctor across from him. He had to admit, she had a captivating beauty about her. Nothing about her was ordinary. She was strong, independent, and confident in herself. Not to mention she was an excellent doctor.

"You think so? You've done fetal surgery before?" Tifa inquired curiously. She wanted to know what this man was capable of before putting her patient into his hands, and under his knife.

"Yes. I have. I have a one-hundred percent success rate." He stated boldly.

That was absurd. A one-hundred percent success rate was impossible, completely unheard of. "Are you saying you've never lost a patient?"

"I have never lost a patient."

"Okay," Tifa said, still in shock from his last statement. The man was more and more impressive by the second. She was the inferior doctor in this situation, and she began to feel a little self conscious. "I think Elena will be so thrilled. We should schedule her surgery."

"Let's go tell our patient, shall we?"

* * *

It was almost time for Cloud to arrive. The lasagna was in the oven and had about twenty minutes to go, and Yuffie was almost ready herself.

She looked herself over in the mirror, pleased with her choice of outfit. She wore a tight fitting maroon pencil skirt, with knee high black socks and ankle-height commander boots. She wore a black tank top with a sheer black long sleeved blouse on top. She felt confident in her clothing choice, she knew it was sure to floor her date. Her ears were adorned with simple, but beautiful black diamond earrings and her lips were a soft shade of red.

After spritzing a little perfume, she made her way downstairs and set the table. "There." She said with a smile after lighting the last candle. She wondered if it might be a little over the top, but she couldn't help it. She was excited and she wanted this night to be romantic. She liked Cloud, and she wanted to see where things would go.

It didn't take long for Cloud to get there, after all he only lived one door away. Still he was a little nervous. He had a good feeling about Yuffie. She was different than most girls he had dated.

Once he had composed himself, he drew a breath and knocked on the door. He was greeted by a lovely young woman. "You look beautiful." He said with a shy smile. He offered her a small bouquet of white tulips with yellow daisies.

"Cloud," Yuffie said as she delicately took the flowers," these are gorgeous, thank you."

"You're welcome, Yuffie." He replied, eagerly waiting for her to invite him in. He could smell the food from outside and it smelled wonderful.

"Come on in!" Yuffie chimed, stepping aside for him to enter.

Cloud gladly accepted the invitation and came inside while Yuffie fetched a vase for the flowers. "How was work today?" He asked curiously as he looked around her home. He noted that things were very neat and clean, the opposite of how his home looked the majority of the time.

"It was good. A little stressful, busy as usual but not bad." She smiled to herself and at the gorgeous arrangement of flowers that now sat happily in a vase of fresh water. She checked the time on the lasagna, it was almost done.

"Can I help you with anything?" Cloud asked as he circled around and walked into the kitchen with her.

Yuffie found it incredibly sweet of him to ask if he could help out, but she shook her head. "No, it's almost ready." She smiled.

Yuffie was proud that she hadn't burned the lasagna, and Cloud seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. They had a great time discussing work, friends and some family life together over the meal. Both of them began feeling closer to one another as the evening went on, and as they go to know one another.

"Yuffie that was amazing, thank you." Cloud said as he followed the girl once more into the kitchen to rinse his plate.

"Truth be told, Cloud," Yuffie started sheepishly, "I can't really cook. My friend helped me make that."

Cloud paused for a moment before smiling and chuckling to himself. "That's okay," he said. "I was beginning to wonder if you were too perfect."

Yuffie blushed and shook her head, "that's just rude!" She teased.

"Oh come on now, it was a compliment!" Cloud teased back, his smile growing a little more.

"Sure, sure it was!" Yuffie suddenly grabbed the hose from the sink and sprayed the blonde in the face with warm water.

Cloud, shocked at first, smirked and took the sprayer away from her in an instant and sprayed her back. Soon a fight for dominance ensued and they were both covered in water. Their hands intertwined and Cloud drew her close, dropping the hose.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before both of them fluttered closed and their lips met.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the last, but I wanted to get it out there. Secondly, thank you all for your reviews, and please keep them coming. I'm so thankful for you! You have no idea! Thirdly, keep in mind that drama is one of the genre's of this story... Much love.**

 **\- B.**

* * *

Around four weeks later, the day for surgery had finally arrived and Tifa was quite nervous. Yes, she knew that Dr. Sephiroth had never once lost a patient, but this surgery was risky for both the mother and the baby. Tifa had to be present for the surgery to monitor the patients and assist Dr. Sephiroth. And aside from all of this, she knew Aerith had an appointment later on today, and she would likely try to convince Tifa to do DNA testing once more. But she didn't have time to think about that right now.

She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before walking into the hospital. That's when her silent moment was interrupted by the loud and familiar sound of a motorcycle approaching. The doctor spun around to see Yuffie hopping off of the back of a bike Tifa hadn't seen in a very long time. Shock was one way to describe what she was feeling now that she knew that her best and closest friend was dating her ex-boyfriend.

Yuffie spotted Tifa and squealed in excitement. She hadn't had the chance to introduce the two yet, but the time had finally come. "Wait here, Cloud. There's someone I want you to meet." The nurse chimed before rushing up to her bewildered friend.

Cloud hadn't known that Tifa was the doctor Yuffie worked for, if he had, he would've told his current girlfriend about the history he and her boss shared. But that was about to happen now. And judging by the look on Tifa's face, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Tifa!" Yuffie ran up to her companion and grasped her hands. "Come meet my boyfriend, Cloud!"

Before Tifa knew it, Yuffie was dragging her toward Cloud and his bike. Tifa could feel her stomach turning in knots. Had she known Yuffie was dating Cloud, she could've warned her sooner. "Hello Cloud." Tifa said coldly as she and Yuffie came to a stop.

"Tifa." Cloud responded with a nod.

Yuffie looked between the two curiously, wondering what was going on. Both of them suddenly seemed to tense up. "Do... Do you two know each other?" Yuffie asked as she began to piece two and two together.

Cloud wasn't about to speak. He knew that Tifa would answer immediately, and them things would get even more awkward than they already were if both of them tried to explain simultaneously.

"Not anymore." Tifa responded briskly. "I have to go, surgery is in an hour and I have to prep my patient." She quickly turned her back to the pair and walked into the hospital with haste. She didn't stop walking until she reached the elevators, that's when she noticed her hands shaking. What was that? She wondered in shock.

Yuffie watched her friend retreat before turning back to her boyfriend and looking at him with frustration. "What the hell was that about? How do you two know each other?"

Cloud looked down sheepishly before responding. "She's my ex-girlfriend. We dated a long time ago."

Yuffie blinked in shock. Cloud was the emotionally scared man Tifa spoke about? It couldn't be. He didn't seem that way at all! "What?" Yuffie could hardly speak. It came out as a sort of whisper. She was stuck. Should she go after Tifa? Was Tifa angry? Jealous? She needed to find out. "Never mind. I'm not mad, I'll call you later. I need to talk to Tifa." Yuffie gave Cloud a quick peck on the cheek before running after her friend.

She found Tifa in her office, pacing quickly while studying a patient's chart. She was nervous to approach. She knew how nervous Tifa was about the surgery, and this morning's event probably didn't help. "Tifa, I didn't know he was your ex."

"Yuffie, not now." Tifa barely glanced up from her clipboard to acknowledge her friend.

"Tifa, I understand you're upset but.."

"Yuffie, I'm not upset, you can make your own choices. But you need to know that Cloud isn't really who he says he is." Tifa let out a sigh and tucked the clip board under her arm. "I wish you had told me sooner."

"Hold on, what?" Yuffie was starting to get agitated. Was Tifa implying that Cloud was some sort of bad guy? Yuffie knew him, he was nothing of the sort.

"Look, you just sort of caught me off guard out there and I didn't want to make a scene in front of him. But believe me, Yuffie. He's bad news." Tifa placed a hand on her hip and gave her friend a stern but sympathetic look.

Yuffie half-heartedly giggled before shaking her head. "What are you talking about? Cloud is not bad news. He's sweet, kind and he's a gentleman. He treats me very well."

"Yuffie, I know him." Tifa warned.

"Look, just because you think you had a bad experience with him several years back, doesn't mean I will!"

"I'm just looking out for you, Yuffie. You don't need to get so upset about this." Now things were beginning to irritate Tifa. All she was doing was looking out for her friend.

"No, you're not looking out for me. I think you're just jealous! I saw the look on your face when you saw him. You've been single all these years because you haven't gotten over him, haven't you?!" Yuffie exploded. When she felt threatened, that's what happened. She couldn't lose people close to her, not after all she had been through as a child. This was how she responded to threats.

Tifa's wine colored eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe what was coming out of Yuffie's mouth. She felt quite hurt, and angry. Tifa wasn't jealous. Cloud hurt her deeply in the past. He left her for someone he had never gotten over, in fact, Tifa suspected him of cheating but she never brought it up. She had heard rumors from friends that he had. But she supposed Yuffie would have to learn on her own. She had no time to deal with all of this now. "Go home Yuffie. I won't be needing you today." And with that, the doctor pushed her way out of her office to head up to surgery.

Yuffie was in such shock, she stood there for a few moments wondering what she should do. But the last place she wanted to be was around Tifa. So she gladly went back to the elevator and dialed Cloud on her way down to the first floor.

 _"Hello?_ " Came Cloud's familiar voice on the other end.

"Can you please come get me? Tifa sent me home." Yuffie tried to remain calm, but it was getting difficult.

 _"She sent you home? Why? Because of me?_ " Cloud's voice sounded rather concerned.

The 'ding' of the elevator shook Yuffie from her daze and she stepped out, pushing past other nurses and patients on her way out. "She's jealous, Cloud." She said after getting past the crowd. She made her way to the cafeteria and sat herself down at a secluded table in the corner. "Can you please come get me."

 _"I don't know if she's jealous, Yuffie. It happened a long time ago. You two just need to cal.."_

"Don't tell me to calm down! You don't know how she reacted up there. She's a jerk, Cloud. Please come get me?"

 _"Okay, okay. Sit tight. I'll be there shortly."_

Yuffie stood from the table and placed her phone in her coat pocket with a sigh. She couldn't believe what was unfolding between she and her friend.

She replayed the events in her mind as she walked to the entrance of the hospital to wait for her ride. How could Tifa have been so insensitive? Good thing she hadn't told her that she thought she may be pregnant.

* * *

Tifa had changed from her regular dress clothes into a set of light green surgical scrubs and pulled her long hair back before heading to her patient's room to make sure things were okay. She was still shaken up about what happened with Yuffie earlier, but determined not to let it get to her right now. Elena needed her.

The hallway to Elena's room felt like it went on for miles, and it wasn't bustling at all. It was only Tifa. Her heart felt like it was racing, and her hands were shaking again. Was it because of anger, or nerves? Tifa had done surgery before. But not on babies while still inside the womb. Sure she wasn't performing it, but she would be there every step of the way.

"Doctor Lockhart."

Tifa hadn't even heard the surgeon approach from behind. He looked as though he was ready. They definitely matched and belonged to the same team today. Seeing him didn't bring Tifa any ease about the situation. But judging by his scrutinizing look, he could tell something was wrong.

She gave him a quick hello and a nod before walking to the patient's doorway where she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Sephiroth closed the patient's door and pulled Tifa aside.

Like always, the man remained expressionless, and seemed completely calm. "Doctor, I don't know what has you so stressed, but you have to leave all of that behind. You can't carry personal emotions into this situation. Your patient will sense that."

Tifa looked up at him, surprised at first. She felt as though she were hiding her feelings well. Perhaps Dr. Sephiroth seemed so stoic all the time was because he was leaving his own personal feelings behind to be the best surgeon he could be for them. "I'm sorry, Doctor. You're right."

"Take a deep breath, it's going to be alright." The man said, reassuringly.

Tifa closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. She felt a little bewildered. Was he trying to comfort her? Regardless, it was helping. She was beginning to feel more relaxed.

"Good, now let's go." The surgeon said as he held the door open for Tifa.

Tifa thanked him and shot him a smile before walking into the room. Had she looked back, she would have seen him return the smile.

"Good morning, Elena." Tifa said warmly. "How are you feeling?"

The mother-to-be sat up in her bed and gave Tifa a nervous smile. "Oh, I'm okay."

Sephiroth watched as Tifa circled around to the woman's bed and gently took her hand that was not hooked up to I.V. Fluid. She seemed like such a gentle, kind person. He had a lot of respect for her.

"It's going to be alright. Dr. Sephiroth is the best surgeon in Midgar. You're in good hands, I promise you that." Tifa said as she gave Elena's hand a light squeeze.

Elena's husband stood at her other side, gently stroking her hair. "You're gonna do great, I know it." He said softly.

"Thank you, Reno." Elena smiled weakly.

Sephiroth approached the bed and looked at Elena with a softer expression than Tifa had remembered seeing. "It'll take one to two hours, what we have to do is partially deliver the baby so we can repair her spine. Doctor Lockhart will be keeping a close eye on your vitals, mom, and if she sees anything that would alarm her, we will have to stop the surgery. You understand?"

Elena nodded and hugged her husband. "I understand. I'm ready."

Sephiroth nodded to Tifa and called for the surgical team to bring the woman up to surgery for her procedure.

* * *

It didn't take Cloud long to arrive back at the hospital. He had only gotten a few blocks away when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He felt a little concerned for Yuffie. The last thing he wanted was for him to be the cause of trouble and turmoil at Yuffie's job.

He felt as though things could or perhaps should be resolved rather quickly. All he needs to do was sit down with both women and explain a few things. He knew Tifa, and knew she was a good person. She and Yuffie could get along despite the history there.

He watched Yuffie zip up her coat and walk out the doors of the hospital. He could tell she was troubled by the look on her face, but she was more angry than anything.

"You alright?" Cloud asked, taking off his sunglasses and sitting upright as his legs supported his bike on either side.

Yuffie just shook her head. At this point she was transitioning from anger to sadness. She felt like Tifa had just stabbed her in the heart. She wondered why Tifa just couldn't be happy for her. Yuffie felt the surprising sensation of a tear slipping down from her she onto her cheek. But just as soon as it had fallen, she felt Cloud's warm and calloused hand wipe it away gently.

"Come on," his voice lulled. "It's gonna be okay, it'll blow over and you two will work it out."

Yuffie nodded and held back the flow of more tears before hopping on the bike behind him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and pressed her face against the leather jacket he wore. "Can we stop by the store first?"

She hadn't told him yet, but she was a few days late, and she had missed a few of her birth control pills. It wasn't something she did on purpose. Her life was so busy and hectic, adding Cloud to it was wonderful, but it made her a little spacey. They hadn't been together long, only about a month, and the last thing Yuffie needed right now was an unexpected pregnancy. She just wanted answers.

"Sure." Cloud replied before starting up his bike and taking off. He enjoyed the feeling of her arms around him, her company was nice. He liked her a lot, and he always appreciated how different she was than most girls. She was tough, and funny, cute and sometimes sensitive. She was just well rounded, he got along with her so well.

Cloud drove them to a small grocery store nearby and parked the bike. He turned it off and started to get up when Yuffie stopped him.

"It's okay, I just need to get one thing. I'll be right out." She said before hopping off the bike.

"I can go with you if you want." He offered kindly.

Yuffie frantically shook her head. "No, no. It's just uh you know a girl thing." She blushed in embarrassment.

"Ohhh..." Cloud said when he realized what she meant. However, by that time she was already in the store.

She knew she could have her urine tested easily, and she had planned to do so today, but that went out the window when Tifa sent her home. Sighing, Yuffie walked to the family planning aisle of the store and looked around. She was nervous, hoping no one she knew would be there to see her buy a digital home pregnancy test. She quickly used self check out and put the box in a pocket on the inside of her coat before running back outside to meet Cloud.

"Ready?" He asked as he gave her a small smile.

Yuffie nodded silently and hopped back on the bike. "Ready." She said, but in reality she wasn't really sure she was ready for the answer...


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello.. It's me... Haha! Did you hear Adelle's voice just then?! So did you see Star Wars? Don't you tell me anything! Haven't gotten to yet! Sold out in my town until January. Okay. So I'm sorry about last chapter's shortness. But this one should hopefully satisfy you?! Please do continue to review. I love hearing from you! I love it! And I really appreciate it. When I get a review, it makes my day! Really! You guys are awesome. A big thank you to those who have already reviewed! THANK YOU! **

**Small reminder: some characters are a little OOC, it's alternate universe and reality. Oh, drama. That's all.**

* * *

Tifa watched as Dr. Sephiroth and his team intricately and effortlessly prepare themselves for surgery. They were so synchronized she felt greatly out of place until an OR nurse came up to Tifa after she had scrubbed in and helped her with the rest of her surgical attire.

"Dr. Lockhart, keep an eye on her vitals. They're administering the anesthetic now." Sephiroth instructed.

Things were happening quickly, but Tifa snapped out of her daze once she heard him give the order. "Okay, Elena. We'll see you soon, just relax. You're in good hands." Tifa assured the drowsy patient as the anesthesia began to do its job. Tifa glanced at the monitors. Elena's heart rate was stable, and blood pressure looked great so far.

Her eyes traveled around the room, there were so many others around, but it felt just as though it were she and Sephiroth there. Over the course of the four weeks that they had been monitoring Elena, they sort of bonded over their patient and the situation. It was a unique situation.

His hands were steady as he and the team cleaned off Elena's small baby bump delicately, Tifa couldn't help but feel a little memorized. Sure she'd performed surgeries before, but none so intricate and dangerous as this.

There were some mild sedatives administered to the mother to slow the movement of the baby in order for the surgery to commence.

Once the baby was located on the ultrasound, surgery began.

It was miraculous to watch Dr. Sephiroth partially deliver the tiny little fetus, his large, strong hands made the child seem even smaller. Tifa's heart pounded as they began to repair the small hole in their tiny patient's back.

She continually looked back and forth between the monitors on Elena, and Dr. Sephiroth. But when she noticed a drop in the mother's heart rate and blood pressure, panic set in. "B.P. Is dropping." She stated. "She's becoming bradycardic." Tifa looked to Dr. Sephiroth nervously, hoping he was nearly finished with the surgery.

A pair of steady, green eyes met hers, she couldn't see his expression due to his mask, but the eyes told her not to worry. She knew what to do then, and quickly she did the necessary procedures to stabilize the patient.

But the steps she had taken did not seem to have an effect on the mother, and her heart rate dropped once more. "Close her up, her heart rate is dropping too fast." Tifa felt like the right call was to stop the surgery, it was in the best interest of the patient.

Doctor Sephiroth didn't agree, he was just about finished repairing the hole in the baby's back. "I'm almost done, Doctor, hold tight." He replied.

"Her blood pressure and heart rate are too low and I'm not risking my patient!" Tifa exclaimed.

Once more, the man gave her a distinctive look. But it was firm and cold. He wasn't budging on his decision. He looked away and continued the surgery. He made quick work of closing the incision and stitching the mother up.

Tifa was furious, her patient's lives were both hanging in the balance. She administered a bronchodilator in hopes of increasing Elena's rapidly declining heart rate. She also administered midodrine to help raise her blood pressure. Inwardly, she was hoping that what she had done was enough.

* * *

Yuffie had gotten home quickly, and she kindly asked Cloud to give her some time alone so she could process what had happened between she and Tifa. Of course that was partially true, she was honestly and genuinely upset about the situation. But what was weighing on her mind now was the fact that she may have conceived.

She knew what symptoms she should look out for, and frankly the only one she had really experienced was the lateness of her period. But that was it. No nausea, no fatigue, no tender breasts. Nothing of the sort. So she hoped it was just a fluke. Maybe stress had caused the lateness?

She got inside her home and took off her shoes, kicking them sloppily to the side. She clutched the box that would deliver her fate in her hands so tightly it collapsed. Nervously, she made her way up the stairs of her apartment and down the hallway to her bathroom.

The bright and floral colors only brought her temporary comfort. With petite and shaking hands, she opened the box and without hesitation she sat herself down and took the test. She placed the stick on the bathroom counter when she was done, stood up and washed her hands.

Now it was time for the waiting game. She was nervous. Certainly she and Cloud were not ready for a child yet. Truth be told, Yuffie was aware that they didn't know each other all that well. It made her wonder if perhaps Tifa really did know something she didn't. Maybe she would have to apologize tomorrow at work.

But right now, what was more important was the results of this pregnancy test. She anxiously checked the time on her cell phone, waiting the appropriate three minutes. But it felt like thirty. Now she was feeling her stomach tighten up in knots, and her chest felt tight and heavy all at once.

She checked her phone once more, and finally it was time. She hadn't once glanced at the test while waiting for the time to run out. But when she grabbed it and looked at the result, her heart stopped for a moment.

Negative. She breathed a huge sigh of relief before tossing the stick in the trash and washing her hands once more. She knew immediately she would have to be a lot more careful. She didn't think telling Cloud about this little scare was necessary.

* * *

Once Elena was settled into her recovery room and awake and speaking with her husband, Tifa walked out of her room briskly and made her way back up to the surgical wing. She had some words to say to Doctor Sephiroth.

She found him walking from his office toward the nurses station, and quickly she approached him. "Doctor, may I speak to you?"

Sephiroth turned to look over his shoulder and noticed Doctor Lockhart staring him down with an angry gaze. Her body language was all too readable. He knew why she was angry, though. He had ignored her recommendation to stop the surgery, but he had every reason and right to do so.

"Sure, Doctor. Let's talk in my office." He said calmly before beginning to usher the angry woman toward his space.

But it seemed as though Tifa did not care to speak in private, she was too furious to wait. "What you did in there was extremely irresponsible! She was circling the drain!"

"Doctor, I.." He tried to defend himself, but apparently Tifa was not done.

"Why would you have me monitor the patient if you were just going to disregard everything I said?!" Tifa folded her arms across her busty chest and stared coldly at the expressionless surgeon. He didn't seem to even flinch at her aggressive tone, or feel the slightest bit of.. Anything.

"Having you in the room was necessary, and I appreciated your recommendation." He replied, not taking his eyes away from hers.

"If that were so, explain to me why you were so reckless." She demanded.

"I felt as though I had control of the situation."

"She could have died!"

"But here's the thing," Sephiroth was angry now. She wasn't relenting, even though he tried his best to explain the situation to her as calmly and politely as possible. He would just have to be firm with her. "She is recovering just fine, and her child has a pretty damn good chance at walking and having a normal life, which would never have happened had I closed her up prematurely. The child would've likely died had I listened to you. I know my own capabilities and you do not. You have no right demanding any explanation from me. Just take a look at the outcome of this situation and tell me who's in the wrong."

He left her standing there in the hallway in shock as he turned his back to her and continued on with his business as if nothing had happened. But clearly, something had happened. Tifa stood there with wide eyes and jaw agape and several others that were in the area were staring right at her. She had been put in her place, that is for certain. But he wasn't wrong. She accepted that, but it didn't stop her from feeling completely useless in that operating room. This day had by far been one of the worst she had experienced. She was just thankful her patient had come through surgery successfully.

It was time for her to go home and enjoy a nice bottle of wine.

* * *

The next day Yuffie was awakened by a knock on her front door. When she opened her eyes and saw the clock she was furious someone had broken her peaceful slumber at such an ungodly hour. It was five in the morning, and she didn't have to be to work until 7:30.

She grumpily walked down the stairs and to her front door before throwing it open in a huff. She then saw Cloud standing there with a wide smile and a steaming hot coffee from their favorite cafe in hand. "Good morning." He said before chuckling. "I brought breakfast."

He couldn't help it. She got the most adorable face when she was grumpy, and her messy bed head and teenage mutant ninja turtle pajamas were just the icing on the cake. "You look great."

"Shut up, punk." She said as she shuffled to the side to let him in.

Cloud came inside and walked to the kitchen, making himself right at home like usual. He had to admit, living right next door had its perks, definitely. They were a happy pair, and they seemed to get along quite nicely.

He placed the coffee cups on the counter and got their breakfast out of the paper bag he had been carrying. Yuffie loved that their favorite cafe had breakfast burritos. They were so good, and kept her full for most of the day, which was helpful in her line of work.

"Thank you, Cloud." Yuffie said gratefully before taking a sip of her coffee. "Is this a special occasion?" She asked curiously.

Cloud shook his blonde head. "Not really. But I am going to be gone a few days for work."

Yuffie frowned at him and sighed. "You know, you never really told me exactly what it is you do for Mr. Shinra. You know he's a board member at the hospital?"

Cloud nodded. "I kind of act as his security. And I knew he had a roll there at the hospital."

Yuffie wondered if Cloud felt ashamed that he was someone's body guard and perhaps that's why he hadn't told her exactly what it was that he did. She hoped that the job wasn't dangerous, but she knew Mr. Shinra paid him well. Rufus Shinra was a very wealthy and influential man.

"So where are you headed these next few days?" She inquired.

"He hasn't told me just yet. But I'm sure he will soon. Eat up." He said before kissing Yuffie's forehead and heading upstairs to use the bathroom.

Yuffie smiled after him and took a bite of her burrito. She really felt as though she may be falling for Cloud.

Cloud hadn't even unzipped his pants when he noticed a particular box in the trash can near the toilet. His eyes widened when he came to realize what it was. He was in shock. She thought she might be pregnant? Why has she drinking so much coffee still? And why hadn't she told him?! He was just starting to get angry when he noticed the actual test sitting beside the box. He tilted his head to the side, straining to read the result. But when he noticed it said 'negative' he sighed in relief. Still he was a little upset she had neglected to say anything about it to him.

He quickly finished his business, washed his hands and went back downstairs where Yuffie was still eating her breakfast. He didn't feel like talking anymore, he just wanted to get on the road and forget about her dishonesty.

"I've gotta get going, but I'll call you, okay?" He said before hugging her quickly and kissing her cheek.

"Oh, okay. You didn't finish your breakfast." She pointed out.

"It's okay, take it for lunch. I'll see you later." He said in a huff. And with that he was out the door and on his way.

* * *

Tifa arrived at work early that morning. She had to speak with the Chief of Medicine about some things. She had decided that perhaps she had let things with Yuffie become too personal, and would be requesting a new nurse.

She had gone into his office after confirming that he was inside and free from any other engagements. "Good morning, Tifa." He greeted her kindly. "I heard that the surgery that Dr. Sephiroth performed on your patient was quite successful." He had also heard about Tifa's outburst and lashing she had delivered to the surgeon as well. The last thing he wanted was for there to be trouble amongst hospital personnel. And he had such high hopes for his daughter and the surgeon, too.

"Ah, yes. Elena is on bed rest now until her delivery. She's doing well." Tifa was a little uneasy. She didn't come into his office to speak about 'boys'. Shaking her head she smoothed out her lab coat and continued. "I've had a slight... Issue with my nurse."

"Issue?" Nagano tilted his head to the side in curiosity as he listened to his daughter. "You and Yuffie are good friends. So what is the 'issue'?"

Tifa let out a quiet sigh. "The fact that we are friends is the issue. It's getting in the way of our work. I'm requesting a new nurse be assigned to me. And asking that for now, you ask her to leave labor and delivery until we can sort some things out between us."

"Tifa that sounds a bit drastic! What happened between you two to cause you to want to remove her from labor and delivery all together?" Her father inquired, worriedly.

"It's a personal matter, that both of us handled immaturely. But if I have her there at this time, I'm afraid I cannot do my job to the best of my abilities." Tifa responded.

Nagano looked down at his desk and shook his head reluctantly. "Okay. Ill find a new assignment for her." Looking up at his daughter, he spoke once more. "This will be temporary, right?"

"I hope so." Tifa replied. "Thank you, father." She stated gratefully before heading up to her own office.

* * *

Yuffie was ready to try and speak with Tifa about what happened yesterday. She headed into work with her friend's favorite coffee in hand. She was hoping to smooth things over today, even though she herself was still a bit angry that Tifa had butted in so much.

When she arrived at the hospital, she was greeted by Tifa's father, the Cheif of Medicine. "Oh!" She said, surprised. He had been waiting in the corridor, and it looked like she was the person he was waiting for. "Good morning, sir." She said, feeling a little nervous.

"Good morning, Nurse Kisaragi. How are you today?" Nagano hated the position his daughter had placed him in. Yuffie was a fine nurse, one of the best with the highest patient satisfaction reviews in the entire hospital. But he would be putting her to good use, he would use the situation to his advantage.

Yuffie was now suspicious. She couldn't help but think Tifa had probably asked him to fire her. "I'm well, and you sir?"

Nagano offered her a warm and welcoming smile. "Good, good. Why don't we speak in my office?" He asked.

Instead of waiting for a response, the Chief was heading to his office in front of her. Yuffie realized then that it wasn't a question or request. She followed him reluctantly, inwardly just knowing she was about to be fired. Her stomach felt like it was in knots. She had only been inside his office a handful of times with Tifa. Usually it was just to discuss procedures. But Yuffie found herself to be quite surprised by the man's next words.

"I need your help with something." He started as he took a seat at his desk. He motioned for Yuffie to take a seat across from him.

She obliged. "And what might that be, Sir?"

"One of the chairmen of the board has fallen ill, and I have assigned you to be his nurse. I picked you because you are the best nurse we have, and I really need a good impression to be made on this man." Nagano explained.

"So in other words you don't want to lose his large contributions to the hospital, am I right?" Yuffie quirked an eyebrow, still in the back of her mind she knew Tifa had to have been involved in this reassignment somehow.

"In short, yes. His donations are quite charitable in size, we need them."

"How sick is he?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"You'll have to determine that when you see him. But he's in your charge now. He's in room 212."

"This whole reassignment thing, it has something to do with Tifa, doesn't it?"

Nagano sighed, he was hoping she wouldn't ask about Tifa. He wanted them to work things out, they made such a good team. "She's asked that you take a break from the labor and delivery unit, temporarily of course. Just give her a little time. By the time your new patient is discharged I'm sure things will settle down. Now run along, he's waiting for you."

Yuffie placed the coffee that was supposed to be for Tifa on her father's desk. Might as well go to someone rather than waste it on a back stabber. She stood up and let him know he was welcome to drink it. She was a little upset about the whole situation. She loved her job as a labor and delivery nurse, and now she was going to be stuck baby sitting an old man, probably in his fifties who was likely fat and perverted. This was definitely not her day. But she needed this job, so she wouldn't complain. This hospital was the only medical center around, aside from nursing homes. And that was the last place she wanted to be. So she would just have to suck it up for now.

She headed to the doorway of his office, thoughts swirling and racing through her head. "Oh," she started as she turned back to face him in the doorway. "What's his name?"

"His name is Mr. Valentine. Mr. Vincent Valentine."

* * *

"Why are you in my office?! Who let you in here?" Tifa exclaimed in surprise after she had walked into her locked office to find Aerith seated at her desk, opposite side of Tifa's chair.

"Hello, Tifa." Aerith had a soft tone about her, and her expression was kind and friendly.

But Tifa wasn't so easily fooled. She knew the true nature of the woman, as shocking as it was. She was no sweet heart, that was for sure.

"I don't recall you having an appointment." Tifa walked into her office and rounded her desk, placing her things atop it and looking at the brunette woman. "What do you want?"

"Tifa," Aerith started as she placed her hands on her hips. "You know what I want."

"I told you before, that testing is risky, and I'm not ordering it. There is not a valid medical reason for it." Tifa said firmly. "Don't ask me again. And don't ever come into my office uninvited again." Tifa warned angrily.

"All I'm asking is-"

"Please get out of my office. You need to talk with Zack before I even consider doing this for you." Tifa was still so angry at the woman. She claimed that it had been a 'mistake' a one time thing. But why? How on earth was Zack Fair not good or satisfying enough for her? It made her think back to when she and Cloud were dating, and she experienced those questions about herself. It was so painful, wondering why she wasn't good enough.

Maybe Tifa was right. Aerith couldn't help but think that Tifa might have a point. But she couldn't risk losing her husband. She didn't want to. He meant too much to her. The test was the deciding factor. She would have to know for sure. If the baby was Zack's then there was nothing to worry about. He didn't need to know about her mistake.

"Tifa, I'm begging you."

Tifa let out a sigh, No. I won't say it again. Now get out of my office and go talk to your husband!"

"Tifa!" Aerith plead once more.

She'd had enough of the harassing, and holding in the secret was beginning to feel like too much for her. If the baby wasn't Zack's she would tell him, and perhaps Tifa would feel better about the situation.

* * *

Yuffie went to the locker rooms and placed her personal belongings in a her new locker on the second floor. She missed being on the fifth, but she didn't have time for emotions now.

She finished putting her things away and headed down the hallway to her new patient's room. She wasn't sure who Mr. Valentine was, or who his doctor might be. But the Chief must have chosen someone equally as recommended and hard working as Yuffie. Perhaps Dr. Hewley.

Dr. Hewley had been an attending at Midgar Regional Medical Center for many years, and though Yuffie and Tifa rarely crossed paths with him, they knew he was a great doctor. He was also said to be a good friend of Zack's.

When she arrived at the patient's room, she used the automatic hand sanitizer by the doorway before knocking. She heard a deep, masculine and raspy voice call out to her saying she could enter. So she did. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink when she saw her patient sitting on the edge of the bed without a shirt while Dr. Hewley was listening to his heart and lungs.

The man had velvety black locks that were

Only slightly unkempt. They traveled gracefully to the middle of his chest and back, with a few shorter pieces that framed his face a bit. His eyes were a deep shade of Crimson, and his skin was perfect and porcelain. He had a very masculine and defined jaw line and thin lips that didn't budge with any type of smile or emotion. His upper body seemed to be in impeccable shape. His muscles were clearly and very defined. He could certainly lift Yuffie with just one arm if he wanted to.

Suddenly, Yuffie felt very self conscious, and nervous. She didn't expect this! He was supposed to be a rickety rich old man, who she may have to slap an occasional wandering hand away. But not this. How could she focus when he looked like that? She shook her head, reminding herself to think of Cloud. That would make it easier. Keep him at the forefront of her mind, and she wouldn't have any trouble.

"Well, hello." That same, velvety raspy voice greeted Yuffie. "You must be nurse Kisaragi. I've heard good things about you."

Yuffie blushed in embarrassment. "Oh," she said as she waved her hand nervously as if to say, 'yeah, don't mention it.. Please.'

"I'm sure you and Dr. Hewley will figure out what's wrong with me in no time." The man said confidently.

"Okay buddy, lets get a gown on you. We'll have to run some tests." The doctor stated as he handed the man a fresh hospital gown.

Yuffie hadn't realized how tall the man was until he stood up. Had he stood beside her he would've towered over her, but instead he walked past and into the bathroom where he could change out of his expensive looking jeans and dress shoes.

Yuffie shook it off, inwardly scolding herself. She pictured her handsome boyfriend without a shirt and smiled subtly to herself.

"The patient is presenting with severe abdominal pain, fever and nausea. I've had the lab come and collect some blood, it's being tested now."

Yuffie couldn't help but think to herself that the man looked just fine. But the symptoms were very clearly appendicitis. Surely the doctor knew that.

"And his appendix is fine." The doctor replied as if he had read Yuffie's mind right then and there.

Now Yuffie was stumped. But it wasn't her job to diagnose anyway, that was up to the doctor. Her job was to care for the patient and do as the doctor asked.

The patient emerged from the bathroom holding his folded clothing, and kindly Yuffie took it from him and placed it in a bag for safe keeping. She and the doctor helped him into the bed and helped make him comfortable.

"Nurse, why don't you get him started on an IV and I'll check the lab for his results." Doctor Hewley stated before walking out the door.

Yuffie looked on the patient before putting her gloves on and making he preparations for his IV. She had a feeling that this may turn out to be more difficult than she anticipated.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well** **hello, and Merry Christmas! Don't worry, I wrote the majority of this yesterday. I hope you all are well! One more disclaimer I should've began with is that I am not a medical professional, simply the child and grandchild of them! Lol! Don't judge me! THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I love you! Keep them coming! I appreciate you so much. Again, Merry** **Christmas. The following chapter is your gift.**

* * *

Tifa sat on her couch, glass of white wine in hand, snuggled up in her pajama shorts and tank. It had been the longest week of her career she felt. A major surgery performed on an unborn child, several deliveries and the constant hounding of a guilty mother to be. She felt as though she was in need of a vacation for sure.

Thankfully, since her little argument with Doctor Sephiroth, the flowers she had been receiving had slowed significantly. Perhaps he had been the one sending them? It didn't matter to her anymore. Relationships were no longer on her radar.

She placed her wine glass on the coffee table telling herself that she'd had enough for the night when she heard a loud and aggressive pounding on her front door. She jumped, startled by the sound. Who on earth would be at her place so late in the evening. She had a feeling maybe it was Yuffie, coming to yell at her for reassigning her. But Tifa felt like maybe she was a little harsh on the girl, maybe it was time to let bygones be bygones.

She quickly leapt over the back of her couch and ran to the door as the knocking persisted and grew louder. "Just a minute!" She yelled before finally reaching the doorway. She peered out the frosted glass, surprised to see a tall, dark haired man standing there. It frightened her for a moment, but she was quite capable of defending herself should anything happen.

Slowly, she opened the door and looked out, swinging it wide open when she saw it to be Zack Fair standing there. He seemed to be out of it, not himself. His cheeks were red and his eyes a little heavy. Tifa could smell the alcohol on his breath even with a few feet of distance between them. "Za-"

"You knew!" He yelled bitterly, glaring viciously at her. He was heated and furious, towering over Tifa.

Tifa took a step back, realizing that he was very intoxicated and likely dangerous. She had never seen this side of him, and quite frankly she didn't like it one bit. "Woah, Zack. Calm down." She warned, putting her hands out for defense.

"You knew about Aerith, that she cheated on me?!" He growled, slurring his words just a little. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Where have you been? You've been out drinking, and you drove here?!" Tifa exclaimed once she saw his truck in her driveway. "Look Zack, you know I couldn't-" but suddenly, Tifa was cut off mid-sentence when Zack's soft lips were firmly pressed against her own.

Suddenly, she felt a slew of emotions that she couldn't quite comprehend. Zack was kissing her, his strong arms were wrapping themselves around her curvaceous frame. He was stumbling forward, pushing the two of them further into her house. But this was Zack. He was married. He was also very drunk, and he probably had no idea what he was really doing. He was just angry. Tifa wanted to kiss back, and for those few moments, deep down she really enjoyed feeling him so close to her. But, she knew the right thing to do was to stop him.

With all her strength, she pushed the man away from her. "No, Zack." She said firmly. "You're drunk, you don't know what you're doing."

Zack looked her up and down with hungry eyes. He didn't care anymore. His wife had betrayed him, and he didn't even know if the child she was carrying belonged to him. What reason did he have to remain faithful if she hadn't? "I don't care." He husked as he took a step toward her once more.

Tifa wouldn't lie, she wanted him to kiss her again, but it wasn't right. "Stop!" She yelled, pushing her hands against his chest, preventing him from coming any closer. "Please Zack you-" again he pushed against her, overpowering her with his strength. Now he held her in his arms, his lips were trailing everywhere, on her lips, neck, jawline.

She squealed loudly and struggled against him, even though she really didn't want him to stop. This couldn't continue. Finally, she got out of his grip and looked at him sadly. "Please stop."

"Tifa, this is what I want." He assured her, gazing into her eyes with great intensity.

"We can't." She said, looking down at the floor and tucking her dark hair behind her ears nervously. "You are still married. And I wouldn't feel right. And.." She paused, her heart aching at the words she was about to say. "You need to try and work things out with her."

"Why would I do that?! She cheated on me Tifa!"

"And you just cheated on her!" Tifa exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes. She was just a rebound, just someone's angry revenge. She felt used, like her own feelings had been taken advantage of.

Zack went silent in a sudden realization that suddenly left him feeling a lot more sober. She was right, he turned around and had done the same that had been done to him. He made a drunken mistake. Perhaps all of Zack's flirting with other women had caused Aerith to wander away, in search of something more. His heart ached a little inside. Because now he was torn, he was realizing some deep seeded feelings for Tifa, but the guilt he felt about what he'd done to Aerith was overwhelming him.

Tifa could tell he was struggling inwardly with all of it. And regardless of his advances, he was in no condition to drive home. "I'm not going to tell her what happened." She said finally breaking the silence. "You can crash here for the night, I'm not letting you drive home like that."

Zack was thankful. He didn't want to go home anyway. He had a lot to think about, like maybe if the baby wasn't his, he would be leaving his wife. And maybe then he and Tifa could have a real shot. But for now, she was right. He needed to sleep this alcohol off.

"Thanks, Teef." He said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. He watched her nod to him before proceeding up the stairs of her home to get him some bedding for the couch.

Tifa replayed the kiss in her mind as she retreated up the stairs. She was desperately trying to choke back the tears that welled up in her eyes. Her chest felt tight, and painful. For those few moments it was nice to have someone holding her, to feel someone else's touch. But it wasn't gonna happen. It simply couldn't.

She shook it off, swallowed her tears and went to her linen closet to get some pillows and a nice plush blanket for the drunken doctor.

When she went back downstairs she saw the man already passed out on her couch, snoring lightly. One of his long legs was dangling off the side of the sofa, while the other propped up upon the arm. He had one arm above his head while the other lay draped over his eyes.

Tifa giggled softly to herself. He was a little too big for that couch, but it didn't matter, he was out and there was no way Tifa would be waking him up. She gently lifted his head and stuffed a pillow beneath it, careful not to wake him. Luckily, he seemed to be a heavy sleeper, and didn't even budge. Then she gently covered his body with the blanket and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, Doctor Fair." She whispered softly before retreating back upstairs to get some sleep herself.

* * *

It was weird coming home alone, with no Cloud by her side, and Yuffie was having trouble knowing what to do with herself. She couldn't help but think about her patient she had met today. There was something extremely peculiar about the man. It could've been the way he didn't seem nervous at all, or the way he smiled at her.

Earlier that day he had asked her personal questions like where was she from, how long had she been a nurse and so on. He seemed rather kind, and maybe he was just lonely, but it almost seemed as if he flirted with Yuffie just a tad. But she could've been imagining things. Someone that good looking so much as look at a cute young girl, she would think he was flirting too.

Again, Yuffie forced the thoughts out of her head. Perhaps if she called and talked with Cloud she would feel a little better.

She changed out of her scrubs and placed them in the clothes hamper and replaced them with some pajama bottoms and a tank top. She then made herself a cup of hot tea and sat down on her couch, cuddling up with a blanket before dialing his number.

It rang for a while before she heard him pick up. " _Hey."_ Came his familiar voice from the other end.

"Hey," she responded. "How's work going? You're not busy right now are you?"

 _"Nah,"_ he replied. " _Just havin' a drink with some of the guys. Did you have a good day at work?"_

Yuffie took a sip of her tea before setting the mug down on her side table. "Um," she thought about her day at work, and instantly thought of the handsome patient.

" _Yuff?"_

"Oh, um it was good. Kind of boring, actually. It's different being away from all the chaos of the maturity ward." She lied. Sort of.

 _"Yeah... Hey, there's something I wanted to talk to you about_." Cloud said. The background noise that Yuffie had been hearing seemed to diminish, leading her to believe that perhaps Cloud had stepped outside.

"Okay, shoot." Yuffie nuzzled further into her blanket, trying to take comfort in the sound of Cloud's voice.

" _Yesterday, I saw a pregnancy test in your trash can... Why didn't you bother telling me?"_

It seemed as though almost instantly, Cloud's demeanor changed. His voice sounded harsh, and angry. Yuffie had never heard him speak this way. "Cloud I-"

" _I mean don't you think something as major as that is worth mentioning to me?!"_

Yuffie's eyes widened in shock. Was he really talking to her like this? Who turned on his ass-hole switch?! "Well I wasn't sure! I didn't really think I was pregnant, just got a little scared when I was a few days behind my schedule.. You know. I didn't think you needed to know since I wasn't sure. And I am not pregnant by the way." She hoped perhaps he would calm down, she was getting nervous. And very uncomfortable with his current behavior.

"It _doesn't matter if you weren't sure! That sort of thing is important! We are supposed to be a couple, you shouldn't keep shit from me!"_

"Holy cow, Cloud! Calm down!" Yuffie was raising her voice to match his now. This was not good, she felt panicky, and anxious. She didn't like the feeling at all. He was attacking her, and treating her unfairly. Maybe Tifa was right!

" _Don't pull that shit again, Yuffie. I'm serious."_ He warned.

"You know, it was my own personal right to withhold the information from you. I thought I was doing you a favor by not making you worry about something that might not even happen! And it didn't happen! So what is the freaking big deal?!" Yuffie was now standing, pacing her living room.

" _How are you not seeing what the big deal is! I'm upset that you didn't even consider me, or letting me know what was going on! You need to think more clearly!"_

"You know what? I'm done with this right now. Have a good night, Cloud." Yuffie said in an angry, and bitter tone before she hung up on him and tossed her phone onto the couch.

She covered her face with her hands and growled. "What a freaking jerk! Seriously! Gah!" She exclaimed aloud, even though she was alone. She just wanted to slap him across the face. "Who does he think he is?! Disrespectful little prick!"

Yuffie stormed upstairs and into her bathroom. She thought maybe taking a shower would help relax her a little. And she left her phone downstairs, refusing to hear anymore from that jerk.

She stripped out of her pajamas and into the water she went. She inhaled deeply, as steam started to fill the whole bathroom and fog up the glass to her shower door. She needed to relax, and she did her best to do so as the hot water poured down on her.

She couldn't help but wonder why Cloud had seemingly switched personalities on her like that, but he did mention he was out drinking. In fact, Yuffie had never seen the man drunk. They hadn't really had a lot of alcohol together. Maybe drinking turned him into a rageaholic? Who knew? But then it hit her, Tifa knew.

She went back and forth with her emotions, part of her was inwardly defending Cloud, and part of her wondered what really went down between he and her best friend. These were all things she would have to wrestle with, but for now, she knew she needed sleep if she was going to deal with Mr. Valentine again tomorrow.

* * *

Yuffie hadn't heard from Cloud the entire night, her phone was completely void of any

Messages or calls from him. But it didn't matter to her, in fact she was still pretty angry at him. She had wished that Tifa was on today, but it was her day off. So she couldn't really make amends now, at least not in person.

But she didn't have time to make a phone call, she had slept in a little bit this morning and had just barely made it to work in the nick of time. She had to admit, she was a little nervous to be seeing Mr. Valentine again. What if he continued with his charming? She was so angry with Cloud she just may give in to his advances! She shook her head at the thought, reminding herself that he was a patient, and doctors and nurses do not fraternize with patients. It was strictly prohibited.

After putting her things away in her locker for the day, she headed down the halls of the hospital on the second floor, to visit her patient.

"Oh, good morning nurse Kisaragi!" Came Doctor Angeal Hewely's cheerful voice from behind her, it startled her, and she turned around in a fright. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized with a kind hearted smile.

Yuffie giggled and brushed it off. "Oh, don't worry. It's alright." She paused. "So, did the blood work show any results?"

The doctor's warm expression sunk and faded away. "They didn't reveal anything abnormal. His white blood cell count and platelets all look great. I'll be ordering a CT scan this morning and perhaps that could tell us something. He's gotten worse over the night."

For some reason, the thought of Mr. Valentine's condition worsening made her heart sink a little. They needed to figure out what was wrong with him, Doctor and Chief Nagano was counting on it. Frankly, the hospital needed his money, and if he died they wouldn't be getting any of it.

"Why don't you check on him, and make sure he's comfortable while I put the order in and see if they can squeeze him in today." Doctor Hewely requested, his warmth seeming to return.

"Sure thing, doc." Yuffie replied before walking into the patient's room.

Vincent saw the nurse whom he had met just yesterday walk gracefully into his room, and when he saw her his spirits were lifted. She wore a pastel shade of purple colored scrubs, with a darker purple trim, and they fit her body nicely. He noted that her eyes seemed s bit red, almost as if she had been crying recently. He frowned to himself at the thought.

From the time that he had met her yesterday, Vincent had taken a liking to Yuffie. She was kind, and friendly, and she took such good care of him. She went above and beyond to make sure he was comfortable. And she had such a gentle touch. Throughout the night he found himself wishing he was in her care rather than the night nurse on duty. "Good morning, nurse." He said as he offered her a weak smile.

Yuffie could tell that the man was in bad shape. His already fair skin seemed even a shade lighter than before, and he hardly had strength to move. He had declined in health rather quickly. "How are you feeling today, Mr. Valentine?"

He didn't want to lie, so he sighed and looked down before replying. "Better now that you're here." He forced a smile again.

Yuffie hadn't seen a patient like this before. Here he was in extreme discomfort and trying to be kind to her. She felt her cheeks grow a little warm at his words. "You're quite the charmer, Mr. Valentine. But really, be honest. This is really important." Yuffie warned.

"To be honest, I feel terrible." He said reluctantly. The last thing he wanted was to look weak in front of her, even though he hardly knew her. Something about her though, seemed to attract him.

Yuffie took the thermometer off the wall, put a sterile covering over it and took his temperature. He was burning up. In fact his fever was dangerously high. This wasn't good. She would need to administer a fever and pain reducer quickly. But it had to go through the doctor first. She called for another nurse to fetch the doctor before continuing with her questioning. "How is your stomach pain?"

"If I move, it hurts." The man winced, his pain was growing more severe, and Yuffie was starting to worry.

The nurse gently pulled down the covers that concealed the man down to about his waist, and gently pressed on various areas of his stomach until she pinpointed the area where the pain was most intense. Her eyes widened in realization. "But the doctor said it wasn't your appendix.." She had to move fast, this was life-threatening now. His appendix could rupture at any moment, and hopefully for his sake it hasn't already.

Luckily the doctor walked in right at that moment with the nurse Yuffie asked to page him. "It's his appendix," Yuffie said frantically. He's burning up and the pain is centered there on his lower abdomen where it's located. Its inflamed."

"I asked you to check his appendix as soon as he was admitted!" Doctor Hewely exclaimed, looking at the nurse opposite of Yuffie.

"I thought that nurse Carla did it!"

And suddenly the scene became a chaotic blur. Mr. Valentine had to be rushed off to emergency surgery, there was no time to lose. Yuffie and Doctor Hewely wheeled him out of the room and to the surgical wing as quickly as possible.

Everything seemed like it was flying by so quickly, but at the same time in slow motion. The noise was loud and all jumbled together until it seemed to be a radio-like static. Patients, nurses and visitors leapt out of their way with haste as they made their way.

Vincent looked up at the nurse who was running alongside his bedside with the doctor. He was mesmerized, and drowsy all at once. She looked beautiful, and so stoic. Like a little hero. He heard her voice firmly command others to step aside and move. She was fierce, and he admired that. And right now he was beginning to realize that she may have saved his life. Should he survive this surgery.

* * *

When Tifa finally woke up, Zack had already left. He had tidied up her living room, leaving the blanket he used neatly folded on the couch with the pillow sitting beside it. There was a hot pot of coffee waiting for her, and a small note on the kitchen counter.

 _Teef,_

 _thanks for letting me stay last night. Your couch is lumpy. You should get a new one. Anyway, I owe ya. Thanks for everything. I'm sorry for the trouble._

 _-Zack._

Tifa smiled sadly to herself. It still stung, but what could she do? Pick herself up and move on. And that's what she opted to do. Today was her day off, and she intended to rest. She was tempted to go to the hospital and check on Elena, but she knew that she needed to stay away.

Living alone as long as she had, staying away from work sometimes just because she was lonely. She'd been single for so long. Hadn't dated anyone since Cloud. Maybe she needed a pet.

It had been a while since she had thought about Cloud, and what happened. A long time since she had really Thought back on what he had done.

They met when they were just fifteen, and it started out as a friendship that was so innocent and fun. They were so close. Told each other everything. But when they got a little older, they became more than just friends. The chemistry was there, but when you put the two together, it became toxic.

He would start of sweet and caring, but after a while it seemed as though he fell out of love he became withdrawn and quiet. He shut her out, and became cold toward her. It was like something, or someone else had his attention.

But worse than that, he became extremely angry when he drank. And that's when things exploded. Tifa had a very hot temper when irritated, especially when she was younger. And she didn't think twice about pounding someone for pissing her off, but when he threw a glass bottle at her, things just escalated from there. They both spent the night in jail, and their relationship went into a tailspin, spiraling out of control.

Tifa shook her head from the memories and shuddered. She hated to remember any of it. She decided that she needed to talk to Yuffie as soon as possible. It didn't matter if she was still mad, or if she would get mad again, she had to protect her friend.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey! Hope you all had a great holiday! Sorry, I had to get this one out. I hope it doesn't seem rushed. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS! Love them! Keep em coming! Again, I'm not a medical professional! I hope I'm on my way to being one! Don't judge! Reminder that this is drama. Alternative universe and reality. Some OOC and pairings are likely to change love ya!

-B

* * *

Yuffie and doctor Hewely got their patient, Mr. Valentine to surgery as quickly as possible. The surgeon on call was Dr. Sephiroth, and Yuffie felt confident that he would get the job done quickly, safely and efficiently. But she had to admit, she was very nervous, and she couldn't exactly pinpoint why.

She watched the majestic surgeon prepare for the operation from her place on the other side of the glass. She found herself hoping the man pulled through, but she wasn't sure. They should have caught this yesterday, but due to a miss communication, it went untreated and unnoticed. Yuffie inwardly scolded herself for not checking for it yesterday. It was so basic, and it had been a hunch of hers. That damn nurse! Neglecting to do her job.

Suddenly, Yuffie wondered to herself why she was so angry. She didn't know this man. He wasn't really even an acquaintance. But more than anything, she wanted to see him recover. He just seemed like a genuine person. So unique in his own way. He was different, and magnetic. He drew others to him, but remained cool and reserved all at once. For a few brief moments during her worry, she had forgotten about Cloud and their argument.

Suddenly, Yuffie was ripped from her thoughts when her cellphone went off. She thought she had left it in her locked, but come to find out it was in her pocket.

She snuck away and looked down, it was Cloud. Sighing, she thought she had better take it, in hopes of him apologizing. Once she had found the surgical break room, she stepped inside and answered.

"Hello?" She made sure she didn't sound too eager to talk to him.

" _Yuffie_." His voice cooed. He sounded soft, sweet, and like the Cloud she was used to.

"What do you want, Cloud? I'm at work right now." She put one hand on her hip and frowned, even though he couldn't see her.

 _"I'm so sorry for how I reacted yesterday. I treated you wrongly and for that, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that._ " He sounded genuine, and sincere. But Yuffie wasn't planning on letting him off quite that easily.

"You're right. I didn't deserve that. What you did was completely inappropriate and uncalled for." Yuffie scolded harshly. But inwardly, the feelings she had for Cloud were returning all at once.

" _I know, and Yuffie as soon as I get home, I'll make it up to you. I promise."_

Yuffie smiled to herself, feeling excited and giddy all over again "okay, you better!"

 _"I promise, Yuff_." He assured her.

"Okay, well call me when you get into town. I gotta get back to work."

" _Will do. Be good._ " He said sweetly before hanging up.

She couldn't help but smile to herself. She was thankful the idiot had come to his senses and apologized. She had been so angry with him. But she decided then and there, she would absolutely not put up with that sort of thing again. So he was on thin ice.

After hanging up, Yuffie tucked her phone into her pocket and returned to her place at the observation window. She couldn't see everything, but could see enough to know that they were still working. From what she could tell, his monitors looked good. She was a little relived but he wasn't out of the woods just yet. Now all that she and Doctor Hewely could do was wait.

The two were soon joined by Doctor Nagano Lockhart, Chief. He had come to check on the situation, and get to the bottom of the negligence. "Hello, doctor, nurse." He said briskly as he gave the two a nod.

Yuffie's eyes averted from the surgery and traveled over to her boss. "Sir."

"Hello sir." Doctor Hewely said.

"Would either of you care to explain why it took two days to diagnose something as simple as appendicitis?"

"Sir-" Yuffie began, but was cut off by the doctor at her side.

"This was entirely my fault, Sir. I was under the impression that the nurse on the previous shift had already eliminated the possibility. And I should have followed up with her more thoroughly."

Nagano shook his head in disappointment. "I chose the two of you because you are two of my best staff members, and you miss something so basic?!" The man paused and drew a long breath before looking at Yuffie. "But good catch, Kisaragi. He would've died had it not been for you."

Yuffie blushed in embarrassment. The comment was the chief's way of complimenting.

"I want you there when he wakes up." Nagano stated. "As for you, Hewely, try to be more attentive next time." He said before turning and walking away.

Yuffie sighed in relief that neither of them had gotten into any real trouble. "Thank you for taking that all on your own. We were all to blame, Doctor."

"Nagano and I have a little history. He wouldn't punish me, so it's no problem nurse." The man said with a warm smile. "I'm sure they'll be finished with the surgery in no time.

Around two hours later, Yuffie sat in her patient's room in the chair beside his bed, waiting for him to awaken. He seemed rather peaceful, and Yuffie was more than thankful that the surgery had been extremely successful. Doctor Sephiroth had noted that had they been just a few minutes later, the man would never have survived.

Her dark eyes were becoming heavy, the silence in the room and the dim lights were making it difficult for the tired woman to stay awake. She found herself drifting to sleep despite her very best efforts to fight it off.

But when she heard the faint rustling sound of the starchy hospital sheets moving, she was wide awake once more.

She watched as a pair of sleepy Crimson eyes fluttered open and calmly began to scan the room and its surroundings. And finally, they landed upon Yuffie.

A drowsy smile found its way upon the man's face when he laid eyes on his nurse. The last thing he remembered was her face, and it was nice that her face was the first thing he saw when he woke. But his peaceful moment was shattered when he suddenly felt a surge of pain in his abdomen.

"Gah!" He cringed as his hands flew to his stomach, clutching it in pain. His brows narrowed and his face turned into a grimace as the pain grew more intense.

Yuffie was quick to notify the doctor and get the okay to administer some more pain meds. "It's gonna be okay, the pain will subside soon. Just try and relax, okay Mr. Valentine?" She looked down at his pained expression, and instinctively she gently stroked his hair for comfort.

It seemed to help smooth him as his smile slowly returned and his eyes regained their focus on her face. "Thank you, nurse. I really owe you one." He said quietly. He was finding himself to be overtaken by her beauty. Perhaps it was the anesthesia, or the pain medicine kicking in, but there was just something about her that radiated like bright light. When he looked at her, something stirred within him, a deep longing to know more about her.

"Just doing my job." Yuffie said as she returned the smile, she hadn't realized that she was still stroking his soft hair, because she was too busy staring into his eyes. She has never seen a pair so enticing before. And she thought Cloud's eyes were the most beautiful she had seen. That was until she had caught a glimpse of Mr. Valentine's.

"No, really. I owe you." Vincent said as he slowly reached out and took Yuffie's other hand. "Let me buy you dinner."

At first, Yuffie smiled and was about to accept when she was suddenly slammed with the realization that she was still with Cloud. It wasn't necessarily disappointment that she felt, but she knew there may always be the 'what if' lingering over her head because of what she was about to say.

"I.. I can't I'm sorry. You are my patient and it's just not allowed." And suddenly, she withdrew from his bedside, his hand dropped away from hers and back onto his bed. She could see the look of disappointment on his face, but he smiled anyway.

"Okay. Well if you change your mind, I'll be here." He assured. He felt his heart sink a little, but he wouldn't blame himself for trying.

"Why don't you get some sleep. I'll be back in an hour to check on you. But if you need me before that, press that call button on your bed." She stated with s kind smile. She watched Mr. Valentine nod before walking out of his room.

Her smile disappeared the minute she walked out of his room. What was she thinking, even considering the date. She inwardly scolded herself and walked to the nearest window, looking down at the parking lot.

At that moment, everything changed. She could not believe her eyes. She saw Cloud's bike parked next to a black SUV. She thought he was still out of town? And what she saw next, was even more shocking, and very disturbing.

She saw Tifa's patient Aerith standing in between the bike and the SUV, with Cloud. They were talking at first, but Yuffie's stomach grew sick when she watched Cloud's hands slowly wrap around the girl, and stop at her hips. She could see the smirk on his face as he drew near to her and then, they kissed.

She was furious! He not only lied about being out of town, he had been cheating on her. With Zack's wife! Hoping that maybe she was seeing things, she rubbed her eyes and checked again. This time, the kiss was more intense and he was pulling her closer.

"What?!" She exclaimed in a partial whisper, as she didn't want to frighten any patients in nearby rooms. Her heart was shattered. She wondered how long they had been together, how long had he been cheating? This couldn't be happening. She had to tell Zack! She should have listened to Tifa. All along she had been right. "So much for him making it up to me!?"

Yuffie quickly took her phone out and snapped a photo of them before storming down the hallway. And then she saw room 212. And in her anger she walked in and looked at her patient.

When Vincent saw Yuffie, he could tell she was distressed. Her eyes glistened as if they were about to spill over with tears. Her fair face seemed red with anger. Weakly, he tried to sit up. "What's wrong?" He asked instinctively.

Yuffie swallowed her tears and her expression changed, "I've changed my mind."

* * *

Zack was at the hospital a bit early that morning after leaving Tifa's house. He had stopped home to talk with Aerith for a bit, and then he went to work after they smoothed things over. As best they could anyway. He didn't tell her where he stayed, that could have had some Repercussions on Tifa.

Coffee in hand, he was heading toward his office when he noticed a delivery man delivering flowers to Tifa's office. His curiosity peaked. He remembered Tifa accusing him of sending her flowers, and from what he knew, she still hadn't pin pointed who had been sending them.

A smirk spread across his face and he decided to figure it out. Maybe he could try and set them up if he knew who it was. The flower man held a clip board with him, and Zack assumed that perhaps it had the name of the sender. He knew that the man wouldn't tell him if he just asked right out, so he had to come up with a plan.

He snagged a clip board from the nurses station and timed it just right, so when the man who set the flowers outside of Tifa's office turned around, he ran right into Zack. Both men dropped their clip boards.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry!" Zack said as he knelt down and picked up both clip boards, subtly glancing down at the list of names. The last name on the list that had yet to be crossed off, Sephiroth M.D. "Here you go, man." He handed the bewildered delivery man the clip board and headed to his office.

He started to think about Tifa, and how she deserved to be happy. And what Sephiroth was doing was kind of torturing her. She needed to know who was sending them, and if Sephiroth had a thing for her, he needed to man up.

What Tifa didn't know was that Zack had gone to medical school with Sephiroth. The two knew each other, and were friends for a while. He didn't really remember what happened to cause them to drift apart, but he needed to talk to the man. Maybe Sephiroth just needed the courage to talk to her.

Knowing both of them, Zack could see them potentially having a relationship. Since he and Aerith had sort of smoothed things over, he wanted Tifa to have someone who was able to dedicate their full attention to her. He wasn't sure if the surgeon was in or not, but he decided to give it a shot.

He made his way to the surgical wing, sipping his coffee along the way. When he arrived, he noticed the surgeon just walking out of the OR after finishing what appeared to be an emergency surgery.

Green eyes met blue eyes and both men stopped in the hallway in front of one another. "Fair, it's been a while." Sephiroth stated calmly.

"Figured I'd come and welcome you to the hospital." Zack replied with a shrug.

"Well thank you. You're a bit late, I've been here almost two months now." Sephiroth chuckled lightly. "How are you enjoying obstetrics?"

"I enjoy my job. My partner Tifa does as well." He watched as the silver haired man's eyes slightly lit up at the mention of her name.

"Oh? I had the privilege of working with her not too long ago. She's a good doctor. Stubborn, though." Inwardly, Sephiroth smiled to himself. But his expression didn't show it.

"That's Tifa for you." Zack smiled a bitter sweet smile, recalling the night before' events. She had been so relentless on stopping his advances. He was thankful for it in the end. "So, I know you've been sending her flowers."

"Is that a threat to you, Fair?"

Sephiroth always had a way of knowing things. Zack didn't know why, but the man could look at you and almost instantly now what was going on within a person. It was a little scary.

"I'm married, Sephiroth. What I came to talk to you about was the fact that I think you need to ask her out. Stop just sending her flowers with no note or card. It's making her crazy not knowing who sent them."

Sephiroth was quiet, he seemed to be thinking it through. "Perhaps. But she didn't seem too thrilled when her father tried to introduce us."

"Just leave her old man out of it. Just get to know her man, she's a good girl." Zack assured with a smile.

Sephiroth gave a short nod, agreeing that he would do so. He wanted to, he just wasn't sure of her feelings in return. He was attracted to her not only for her aesthetic beauty, but her intelligence as well.

"But I swear if you hurt her, I will come after you. And it won't be physically. I will find a way to ruin your career." Zack glared and warned the man boldly. He wasn't gonna let anything happen to Tifa.

Sephiroth smirked in response, "noted."

"She's off today, but she'll be back tomorrow. She's on call all weekend. You should talk to her then." Zack turned around and headed toward the elevators when he heard Sephiroth speak again.

"Fair."

Zack turned around and looked at his former friend. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

When he returned to his office, he saw a familiar face standing at the doorway with her arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her face. She was tapping her foot impatiently and she seemed extremely distressed.

"I thought Teef fired ya. Whatcha doin' in the maturity ward?" Zack asked Yuffie as he walked up to her.

"There's something you need to see." She flashed him the photo on her phone. The one that proved his beloved wife was still cheating on him. And not with just any old guy, with a guy he considered to be his closest friend. The one who happened to be dating Yuffie.

His jaw dropped, and anger began to well up inside of him. He had just decided that he would release Tifa to someone else, and try to make it work with his wife. He'd apparently done it prematurely. "That little..."

"They're outside right now."

That was all he needed to hear. He was off, he took off running toward the stairwell, screw the elevators.

Yuffie followed him and they both dashed down five flights of stairs and out the exit that lead to the parking lot. Sure enough, Cloud and Aerith were standing beside her car, fraternizing.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Zack boomed in a vicious and territorial voice. He walked up to the pair and ripped them apart.

Yuffie was shocked at the fact that Zack wasn't winded at all. She did her best to catch her breath and stand up straight beside him. She looked at Cloud. He was shocked to say the least. "You two are awful ballsy to do this outside the hospital, where both of us work!"

"Zack, I can explain!" Aerith exclaimed frantically as her eyes filled with tears.

"You two have been at this for years, haven't you?!" Zack yelled, grabbing Cloud by the collar of his leather jacket.

Yuffie just watched things unfold before her. She was growing a little numb. "You are such a liar, Cloud!"

"Zack, look man it's not what you think.." Cloud tried to defend himself, but couldn't.

Zack slammed his former friend into Aerith's car, denting the door severely before dropping him to the ground. He would've pounded him into oblivion, but he had a full day of patients and he wouldn't abandon them. Shaking his head, He then turned his attention to his wife. "We're done." He spat venomously.

"Zack!" Aerith cried after him as he turned his back on her and headed back into the hospital.

"Come on, Yuff. They're not worth our time." Zack briefly looked over his shoulder, noticing Yuffie kicking Cloud in the ribs before running after him.

"I'm gonna go talk to Tifa." Yuffie said as she caught up to him.

Zack's heart sank. He was kicking himself for talking to Sephiroth now. He would be an ass hole if he went after Tifa now. He gave Yuffie a nod. "I'll let the chief know."

"I'm so sorry, Zack." Yuffie offered him a sympathetic look.

"Thanks for telling me. I'm sorry too. He's a worthless piece of shit."

"I've already got something else lined up. Don't worry." Yuffie felt a little bad for accepting the date with Mr. Valentine so quickly, but she was angry and hurt. And the man was so handsome and charming, how could she say no?

"Good for you, kid. See ya around."

Zack seemed defeated, and sad. Yuffie felt for him, she really did. She wished she could offer him more comfort, but he wasn't much of a talker when it came to things like that. But right now, she needed to make things right with Tifa.

* * *

Tifa was afraid when she heard the knock on her door that evening. She feared it was Zack again, coming to pull the same stupid crap he had the night before. But still, she answered the door and was surprised to see Yuffie standing there with a cup of coffee.

She couldn't help but smile. She missed her friend. "Hey."

"You were right." She admitted as she handed Tifa the warm coffee.

Tifa looked perplexed. "What?" She asked, looking down at the cup.

"Can I please come in?" Yuffie asked as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Tifa looked at her friend worriedly. "Of course." She said, before moving out of the way to let Yuffie in.

They settled into the living room before Tifa asked what happened. "So, what's going on, Yuffie? Are you okay?"

Yuffie sighed and shook her head. "You were right about Cloud. I caught him cheating on me with Zack's wife."

Tifa blinked at the words that just came from her friend's mouth. "Wh-what?" Her first thought was 'does Zack know?'

"I saw them at the hospital. Zack and I confronted them. I just can't believe this Tifa. I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you." She said sadly as she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them while sitting on the couch.

"Yuffie, I never expected him to do that to you! And I didn't know he would've been with Aerith! Don't beat yourself up." Tifa said as she sat beside her friend and hugged her.

"I can't believe I fell for his BS."

"He's charming like that." Tifa sighed, she knew that all too well. "I knew Aerith was cheating on Zack. She told me while I was doing her 9 week exam."

"What?! Did you know it was Cloud?!" Yuffie ripped herself away from Tifa, looking at her in shock.

Tifa shook her head. "No, she never told me who. And she said it was a one time mistake, but clearly it wasn't."

"So the baby... It could be Cloud's?" Yuffie suddenly realized why Cloud got so upset about her little scare.

Tifa nodded. She herself was in shock. Poor Zack and Yuffie. What a devastating blow. "I'm so sorry, Yuffie."

"I should've listened to you." Yuffie frowned sadly.

"Yuffie I shouldn't have butted in so much."

"No, no! You had every reason to warn me. What did he do to you, Tifa?" She looked up at her friend sadly.

Tifa shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it now. But Yuffie, you will find someone else. You're so cute and lovable."

"Well actually... Your father had assigned me to this patient who happens to be a chairman of the hospital board... He asked me out.." The excitement she felt about the upcoming date helped ease the sting of betrayal left behind by Cloud.

"Really?" Tifa smirked and quirked a curious brow. "Tell me more!"


	9. Chapter 9

Oh wow. I'm overwhelmed by the kindness you all have shown me! Your reviews just blow me away. I'm so shocked that people actually like this story! I'm so inspired to continue it! Anyway, one of you asked if I as in college and no I am not yet. I finished cosmetology school over 6 years ago, but it's kinda time for a change. One day! Haha! Never too old to go back. Anyway, a gentle reminder: I'm not a medical professional, do not judge me! I'm sure a lot of it is incorrect. I'm writing from personal experience and some faint medical knowledge that's probably vague and inaccurate! Sorry! You are all so wonderful!

As as for Tifa and Zack. I'm sorry, I absolutely love that pairing, and it did come out in my writing. I didn't intend for that to happen, and I'm not saying it may not happen again... Who knows! That wasn't really my intention though.

-B

* * *

Yuffie looked at her friend happily, relieved that things between them had suddenly gone back to normal like nothing had ever happened. Here they were, gossiping and talking about hot guys once again, and it felt good. Tifa had just asked her about the patient who had boldly asked Yuffie out on a date.

"Well, after you kicked me out of the labor and delivery unit-"

"I'm sorry about that, by the way." Tifa interjected as a frown made its way across her face.

Yuffie waved her hand, "no worries. As I was saying, after you kicked me out, your father assigned me to look after the Chairman of the Board, Mr.-"

"Mr. Valentine?" Tifa asked as her eyes widened a little.

"Please don't tell me he's your ex!" Yuffie exclaimed, dreading what relation her friend might have to her upcoming date.

Tifa giggled and covered her mouth. "No, no!" She finally calmed her laughter and looked at Yuffie. "Vincent is my cousin."

"Your father never mentioned that the patient was his nephew!" Yuffie was thankful that Tifa hadn't had some crazy romantic past with the man, and perhaps it was good that she was related to him. She could let her in on any hidden information about the mysterious man.

"That's because he's on my mother's side. Most of them blame my father for my mother's death. So neither accept each other as family. " Tifa explained.

Yuffie frowned at her friend for a moment, she envied the fact that Tifa even had parents to begin with. "But you and Mr... Uh Vincent, you guys are on good terms?"

Tifa nodded and smiled at Yuffie. "He's a really great guy, Yuffie. You're lucky."

"Maybe it's you who should be telling me about him?" Yuffie felt an excitement rush through her, as if they were two high school girls discussing their crushes late at night.

"Ah-ah-ahh... Then where's the fun in getting to know him yourself?" Tifa smirked at her friend and reclined on the couch a bit.

Yuffie pouted and crossed her arms like a child. "That's no fair! Come on!"

"How about this, once you guys get to know each other a little better, I'll start telling you embarrassing things about his childhood. But until then, the work is up to you." Tifa offered.

"Okay, I can handle that. But how do I know he's even gonna like me enough to go on another date? It might just be because I caught his condition just in time." Yuffie started to have a few doubts about herself. She hoped the man was genuine in his want to get to know her, but perhaps he just felt indebted to her.

"Vincent is a forward type of man. If he asked you out, it's because he likes you, not because he 'owes' you. If he really wanted to repay you, he would've offered you money." Tifa stated as she ran her finger along the rim of her coffee cup.

Yuffie nodded and then let out a sigh. "So, when are you ever gonna try and date someone Tifa? Ya can't keep on living alone like this, I mean don't you get... Lonely?"

Tifa blushed, knowing exactly what Yuffie meant when she used the word, 'lonely.' "Um, there's something I have to tell you.." She paused as she watched her friend's onyx eyes light up with anticipation. "Something happened last night, between me and Zack."

Yuffie's jaw dropped and she stared at Tifa in disbelief. Tifa was absolutely not the home wrecker type, so the fact that something happened between she and a married man, utterly floored Yuffie. "What?!"

"Well not like that! I mean, he came to my house and was completely wasted. And he kissed me..."

"Tifa.."

"I stopped him! I wouldn't let him advance, but.." Tifa looked down at her hands shamefully.

Yuffie smirked and looked at Tifa. "You wanted something to happen."

"I did but, I couldn't. And I still won't. Things need to cool down, and I absolutely refuse to be the rebound!" Tifa said firmly. She was better than that, and more importantly, she deserved better than to be someone's second choice.

"Well, good for you Teef. You deserve someone who will give you their 100 percent. Not just some. But something tells me, Tifa, that Zack wasn't the one who you really had your eye on." Okay, so Zack had texted Yuffie about planting a little bug in Tifa's ear regarding Sephiroth. Yuffie didn't know then that Zack had previously come on to Tifa. What a strange entanglement this was turning out to be.

"What do you mean?" Tifa quirked an eyebrow and looked over at her friend who had now placed her feet on the coffee table comfortably.

"Come on, nurses are whispering about the chemistry that you and Doctor Sephiroth had in the OR."

"No, they're whispering about the argument had, I'm sure." Tifa shook her head. Still, she couldn't really deny feeling something toward the surgeon. She hadn't decided if it was anger or maybe, feelings...

"You like him, don't you Tifa?!" Yuffie squealed and decided she would turn Tifa into an excited school girl too. This desperately needed to happen. Tifa had been single for much, much too long.

A blush crept onto Tifa's face, and she quickly stood up from the couch. "I haven't had enough wine to even begin to talk about this!"

"So break out the wine, girl! We have all night to talk about these hotties!" Yuffie rubbed her hands together as if she were hatching some devious plan. It was amazing how such a terrible day turned itself around and became such a good one.

A handsome and mysterious man had asked her out, and she and her best friend had made up. And perhaps that friend would finally open up to her about her feelings! And maybe Yuffie could manage to help Tifa find the courage to move on with her life and start a relationship with someone new.

* * *

"Tifa! Tifa! Get up, we're gonna be late for work!" Yuffie exclaimed as she shook her friend's shoulders violently. Apparently they had had too much wine the night before because they both overslept and now had just minutes to get ready and head to work.

"Hmm?" Tifa sat up and rubbed her aching head. "What time is it?"

"It's seven!" Yuffie had already stolen a pair of Tifa's blue scrubs she typically wore when performing any surgeries or deliveries. They were a little baggy, but would work.

Tifa shot up from the floor and rushed up the stairs and into her bedroom. She quickly flung her closet door open and went inside, searching for an easy yet professional outfit. In a hurry, she opted for a pair of maroon scrubs and her lab coat, she was in too big a hurry to be picky.

After getting dressed she ran to the bathroom and did her make up quickly, but made sure not to smudge any eyeliner or mascara before pulling her long hair into a neat bun atop her head. Once her teeth were brushed, she ran downstairs and she and Yuffie hopped into her car and were off.

As they drove, Yuffie did her best to recall the conversations they had while under the influence. She had hoped Tifa would open up, but all she could remember Tifa telling her about Sephiroth was that she thought he was attractive. And she felt slightly drawn to him for some reason.

And Yuffie could understand that feeling, since she herself felt that way toward Mr. Valentine. And she found herself growing more excited as they neared the hospital, because she would be seeing him again today. In fact, she would be returning to labor and delivery, but only when Mr. Valentine was discharged. She enjoyed having him in her care, but while he was in the hospital, he couldn't take her on a date. So she wanted him to recover quickly.

Tifa felt tired from the night before, and she was regretting a lot of things that morning. She regretted how much she drank, letting Yuffie pry into her business, and also firing Yuffie. Had she not fired her, she would probably not have missed her morning coffee. And she was in desperate need.

She found herself wondering how Zack was coping with the situation with his wife, and wondering where he stayed for the night. Maybe he had kicked her out to live with Cloud. She knew Yuffie certainly didn't want to be home, because if Cloud did take Aerith In, she would know about it. Now the fact that they lived so close was a pain rather than convenience for her friend.

After parking in her designated spot near the front of the hospital, Tifa got out of the car with Yuffie and both headed inside. When they got into the elevators they sighed in relief. They had made it just in time. Both had to laugh aloud for a moment.

"So, are we hanging out tonight?" Yuffie asked curiously as she pressed the button for the second floor.

Tifa shook her head sadly. "I'm on call this weekend, I'm gonna stay here at the hospital. But you're more than welcome to stay at my house. I know you probably don't wanna see Cloud.

"Thank you Tifa." Yuffie was so thankful for the offer, and Tifa was right. She did not want to see Cloud. If she did she was definitely going to knock him out. "Ah, gotta run. See you at lunch!" Yuffie exclaimed as she hopped out of the elevator just in time before the doors closed.

* * *

She was surprised to find her patient sitting up comfortably in bed, speaking with the doctor. But she couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Good morning, Mr. Valentine. Good morning Doctor Hewely." Yuffie greeted them both warmly as she walked up beside the doctor and smiled at their patient.

When he saw her walk into the room, Vincent's crimson eyes lit up, and he felt something within him ignite. It had been such a very long time since anyone had impacted him so much. He hadn't felt this way in many years. Yes it was true, the young girl saved his life, but he wanted to get to know her for more selfish reasons. Because he wanted to. Because he needed to.

She was interesting, she was spunky. She wasn't like any other woman he had ever met before. She said what she felt, and she meant what she said. She was direct and straight forward, but also compassionate and kind. She had a wonderful laugh and a killer smile. Not to mention the fact that she was quite beautiful in her own right. He hoped that the doctor would discharge him,

The doctor examined his incision, looking it over thoroughly before returning his gown to its place and looking down at the patient's chart. "Well, the incision looks good, but it looks like you ran a small fever last night. I'd like to keep you one more day to make sure that fever goes away, alright?"

Vincent nodded, reluctantly. "Sure. Thank you doctor." At least he knew he would be spending some time with Yuffie today.

"Nurse, why don't you give him a round of IV antibiotics. It'll help him fight infection, and reduce the fever." The doctor requested curtly.

"Will do, doctor." Yuffie said before excusing herself to get the medicine for the man. She was a little disappointed that Mr. Valentine was not going to be discharged today. But the doctor was right. It wasn't safe to let him go home while running a fever. They needed to keep an eye on him and make sure his body was recovering properly after surgery.

When she returned to the patient's room, the doctor had already left. Leaving her to do her work alone. She felt a little nervous now, standing in the room with him alone, just because she didn't know what to expect next. But she had a job to do and she did it. She added the antibiotics to his iV, hanging the bag next to the saline drip. "It'll sting just a bit as it starts out, but it'll go away in a few minutes." She assured.

Vincent nodded his dark head and glanced over at the nurse. "Thank you, nurse."

"You can call me Yuffie." She instructed as she stood beside his bed and offered him a reassuring smile.

"Only if you call me Vincent." He asked in return.

"It's a deal." Yuffie giggled quietly and looked down at him. He seemed a little less... Outgoing today. But still kind. He was a lot more quiet than he had been yesterday, and it lead her to believe that perhaps all of his talking had been the pain medicine he was given. Percocet tended to do that to people.

He couldn't help but smile just a bit when he heard her giggle. Her joy was contagious it seemed. "So about dinner," he started.

"Look, I understand if you want to cancel. You were just coming out of surgery and probably didn't really mean what you-"

"I was going to ask you where you'd like to go." Vincent chuckled to himself. "Don't be so unsure of yourself."

Yuffie blushed and looked down. "Don't embarrass me.."

"What do you like?" Vincent ignored her statement, as he planned to make her blush whenever he felt like it. It didn't matter if it embarrassed her or not. "Is there a favorite place you have."

"No." Yuffie looked back up at him and crossed her arms. "Just surprise me. But for now, mister, you need some rest.

Vincent was reluctant. He didn't want to rest. He wanted to talk with his nurse. And it wasn't like a perverted nurse/patient fantasy. It was genuine want to know the person standing in his hospital room.

Yuffie noticed a small tinge of sadness in his eyes. She felt her heart sink a little, but she knew that if he didn't rest he wouldn't recover. But another thing she noticed, was that the entire time he had been hospitalized, he hadn't had a single visitor. And she knew he hadn't been married, Tifa at least told him that last night. Loneliness must run in Tifa's family.

"If you don't rest, you won't recover." Yuffie warned.

"I'm in bed, aren't I?" Vincent asked. "Rest doesn't necessarily entail sleeping, does it?"

"Mr.-" Yuffie paused, correcting herself. "Vincent, yes it does."

"You're awfully stubborn." Vincent noted, looking down at his hands.

"Who can blame me?" Yuffie smiled to herself. "I've got a hot date waiting for me. He just needs to get better first."

"Well when you put it like that..." Vincent gave her a small smile. "Alright, I'll get some rest." He said, finally surrendering to her wishes.

"You know how to contact me. You just press that button on your bed, and I'll be right in." Yuffie said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you. I'm doing alright." He assured her.

Yuffie nodded and was about to leave when she heard him call her name. She looked over her shoulder and in his direction. "Yes?"

"Thank you for taking such good care of me."

She smiled once more. "I'm glad I could be your nurse."

* * *

Once again, Tifa had a bouquet of flowers waiting for her outside her office. And she picked them up routinely and carried them inside. She sat them on her desk in annoyance. The mystery had gone on too long. And she felt like it was just a waste, the flowers died quickly anyway. She knew today was going to be a very, very long day. After getting her things settled into her office a bit, she decided that she had enough time to get a cup of coffee or two, as her first patient for the day was in an hour, and currently there were no moms to be in the delivery rooms.

Smiling to herself, she figured today may be smooth sailing. Until she reached the break room and noticed the coffee machine to be broken down. She frowned but didn't fear. There were so many coffee pots in the hospital, she was bound to find one that worked somewhere.

The next floor down was surgical. She knew who would be on that floor. The one that she and Yuffie gossiped about the night before, the one she had gotten into an argument with and hadn't spoken to since. But, coffee was her drug of choice, and she desperately needed it. She took the elevator to the sixth floor and walked into their break room.

Low and behold, there he was. Doctor Sephiroth standing there in the break room speaking with a few of the other attending surgeons and surgical nurses. He was wearing normal clothing, which for him was quite dressy. He had black dress pants, a grey dress shirt and black vest that were covered up by his lab coat. He looked very handsome, Tifa noted inwardly. Though she would never admit it.

Once everyone spotted her walk in, all eyes shifted to her, and they all fell silent.

Tifa giggled nervously, "hi.. The coffee machine is broken on the fifth floor.. Do you mind if I?" She hated the fact that the men were gawking at her, especially with how sloppy she felt today. But Sephiroth never did.

The men in the room gave her the seal of approval, some even offered to pour it for her, but she turned that down. She began to fix her cup when the man whom she had hoped to avoid walked up to her.

"Hello, Doctor Lockhart." He greeted coolly.

"Hello," she said quickly. "Do you drink coffee?" She asked, offering to pour him a cup too. She didn't notice, but the other surgeons in the room had jealousy written all over their faces.

"No." He stated. "Surgeons have to have steady hands."

At first Tifa was shocked, but then it did make sense. "Oh that's very true. I'm sorry." She said, putting the coffee pot back down on the burner. "Thank you for letting me take some."

"Doctor Lockhart, may I speak with you a moment?" He asked unexpectedly.

Tifa looked at him nervously, it was probably about how she embarrassed him and herself when she had tried to confront him not too long ago. "Um, sure." She said, snapping out of it.

The two walked out of the break room and Tifa pretended not to hear the howling and cat calls coming from inside the room. "So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked, looking up at the talk man, trying to pretend like she wasn't nervous.

"How do I put this?" He mumbled as his hand rested on his strong chin.

"I'm sorry." Tifa finally said, unable to handle the tension. "I never should've confronted you like that. I should've trusted your instincts as a surgeon. Especially with your reputation."

"Doctor Lockhart," Sephiroth smiled, he couldn't help but do so, she looked quite cute when she was flustered. She must have assumed he was going to demand an apology. Most doctors were the type to do so. "You are a skilled physician, and you told me to do what you thought best for your patient. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You defensed what you felt was right. I'm not angry with you for doing that. In fact," he paused for a moment, looking at her wide wine colored eyes that seemed to match her scrubs almost perfectly. "I admire that about you."

Tifa blushed and her eyes grew even more wide at his surprising compliment. And suddenly, her heart was thumping more rapidly against her chest. "S-still. I'm sorry. I was out of line."

"Please, don't apologize." Sephiroth urged.

Tifa nodded and offered up a small smile. "Thank you, Doctor." She paused looking down at her cup. "Oh, and thank you for the coffee."

"Don't mention it." Sephiroth nodded to her

Tifa gave him one last smile before turning and making her way down the hallway. And then she stopped, realizing that he hadn't mentioned why he wanted to talk, she had interrupted and he mentioned that her outburst wasn't the reason he wanted to talk.

Sephiroth chuckled to himself and walked to where she had stopped. He decided it was now or never he had to work up the courage sometime. "Doctor Lockhart, I-"

But before he could finish, Tifa's pager went off. It was an emergency delivery and she had to go. "I'm so sorry, Doctor Sephiroth. I've gotta go, it's an emergency." She said briskly.

"Some other time. I understand. Go on." He urged, before watching her run quickly to the elevators. It was a bitter sweet moment for him. He wanted to tell her about the flowers, but watching her in action was something spectacular to him.

* * *

Yuffie went later in the afternoon to check on Vincent, making sure he had eaten and that he was behaving and obeying her orders to rest and take it easy. He seemed to be doing so, but he wasn't sleeping. He was sitting up in bed reading.

She noted how incredibly handsome he looked in a pair of reading glasses, and she didn't even think it was possible for him to become more attractive. But she had been wrong before. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she crept up to his bedside.

Vincent removed his glasses and set his book on his side table. "How do you feel about sushi?"

Yuffie giggled, "I like sushi. But you didn't answer my question." She teased, but she was really enjoying their interaction.

He chuckled to himself, "starting to feel a lot better."

Yuffie could tell that the answer was genuine, and she was quite grateful for that. But she was hiding just how nervous she was, because she had come on Doctor's orders to change the bandage dressing on his wound. That meant she would be seeing his incredibly sexy body, once again. And she turned into some kind of babbling school girl when that happened.

"Okay, let's take a look at your incision." She stated as she put a pair of gloves on and went to him. She kept the blankets draped over his waist while she had him lift his hospital gown. She then took the bandages off of his wound as gently as possible. It looked good, clean with no real redness or inflammation around it at all. That was very good. She had never seen stitches placed more perfectly. The man may not even scar that badly. She was shocked, Doctor Sephiroth must have been some kind of perfectionist.

His upper body was so chiseled, she noted that he had to spend a lot of time in the gym to keep up such a physic. His skin was quite fair, and creamy but still so delectable. She fought off a blush and forced herself to look away as she gently cleaned the wound and rebandaged it delicately.

Vincent noted that she had very gentle hands. Also cold, but then again, most medical professionals had cold hands. He watched her work, admiring her the entire time. He could tell she was blushing but trying not to, and he held back a chuckle. "Thank you, Yuffie."

She shuddered a little when he said her name, it was a little strange but it was exciting all at once. She smiled and discarded her gloves. "No problem. It's looking really good."

"Thanks to you, no doubt." He stated.

"No, the surgeon really treated you well. He did a great job." Yuffie corrected him.

"Thank you, for taking such good care of me. Your parents raised you well."

The words stung, and they stung hard. But she shook it off, it was not his fault. He had no idea she didn't have parents, but he was about to. Because she couldn't handle him making that same mistake twice. "I didn't have parents."

"Yuffie, I'm so sorry." He apologized sorrowfully. The last thing he wanted to do was to bring up a sore subject for her. "Had I known-"

"It's okay, there's no way you could've. But now you do. I may not have had parents, but I've got a weird little family." She was of course referring to Cid and Tifa. But it was even more strange because Tifa was also his family. Of course Tifa was just her pretend sister. "And I'm thankful for what I've got."

Vincent nodded at her, admiring her courage. "I'm glad to hear it."

"So sushi, huh?" Yuffie asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

* * *

Tifa was quick to rush into the delivery room and find out any information she could from the attending nurses. Things were more frantic than normal, and she was soon to find out why.

"Mom overdosed on heroine, someone found her in a public bathroom. Ambulance rushed her here and got her stable, but the baby's heart rate is dropping fast." One of the nurses explained quickly as they helped Tifa into a pair of gloves and her mask.

She hated situations like this. Selfish mothers who abused drugs while pregnant. The outcome was almost never good for the baby. It made Tifa sick.

"How many weeks is she?" Tifa asked, taking note that the mother was already hooked up to the monitors that tracked her baby's movement and any contractions she may be having.

"Just at 36 weeks." The nurse replied.

She knew she would have to perform an emergency Cesarean section. The mother was completely comatose and Even though the baby wasn't full term, it was close enough to term that it had a fighting chance. She made quick work of ordering her nurses to get the room ready for that to occur. They were hasty to make sure that Tifa had absolutely everything she needed.

But they hit a roadblock when they found out that every anesthesiologist was tied up at that exact moment. They were busy assisting other surgeries.

"Call up to surgery, find someone else who can administer the anesthesia! We have to deliver now, this baby is going to die!" Tifa yelled at a nearby nurse.

The woman quickly rushed out and did as she was told.

All Tifa could do was wait, and hope to goodness that the baby would hold a little longer. And then he walked in the doorway. Doctor Sephiroth. She hadn't a clue that he was a practicing anesthesiologist as well. How incredible, he must've spent some intense times in medical school. She was so thankful to see him.

She made quick work explaining to him the situation. And he was more than happy to assist her.

With the anesthetic finally administered, Tifa was able to begin the surgery and deliver the baby. Still, she hoped to goodness that this baby would pull through. She glanced up to see the monitors, once more the child's heart rate dropped. The neonatal nurses were standing by, ready to whisk the child away and give it the intensive care it desperately needed.

It was surreal for Sephiroth to be the one watching a surgery, he was on the opposite end of the situation Tifa had just been in, and he watched her every single move. She made no mistakes, and worked quickly but he could tell she was frantic. She was scared he could see it in her eyes.

Tifa finally got the baby delivered, and after the umbilical chord had been clamped and cut, the child was out of her hands and in the hands of the NICU nurses. She stared after the baby as they took her, cleaning her up and beginning to hook her up to an iV. The poor thing was shaking violently, and Tifa could tell that she was in bad shape.

Something inside of her started to churn, she looked at the baby with longing eyes. She wanted to hold her, to nurture her. But she quickly snapped out of it. She had to stitch up the mother and make sure she was okay. After the baby was delivered, her job was to focus on the mother, not the child. But the worry she felt for that baby was unreal.

Tifa finished closing the woman up, and cleaned the wound gently before looking up at her monitors. She was still stable, and surprisingly she was waking up. "M-mm." She mumbled through her oxygen mask.

Sephiroth reached over and gently removed it so the woman could speak. "M-Marlene."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello! I'm very sorry for the delay! Sometimes things get busy, you know? Anyway here's the next chapter and I do hope you enjoy. I don't think I have to remind you that I am not a medical professional... So keep that in mind. If you are one, don't read this! You'll judge me. Anyway. One more thing. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS! Really I am quite grateful and thankful. I'm honored that you are taking your own time to read my silly little story. And even more honored that house have complimented it so graciously. My heart is happy. Thank you!

Love, -B.

* * *

It had grown rather late in the evening, and so far Tifa had yet to be called for another delivery. She found herself looming outside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, continuously checking on the small little girl that had been named Marlene.

She knew once Child Protection Services, CPS, had become involved, she knew that without a doubt the mother would not be allowed to keep the child. And she didn't deserve to, the baby needed a stable mother who could care for her properly. She couldn't help but wonder if it was at all possible, if the baby pulled through, to adopt the child herself.

She couldn't help it, once she delivered the child, she felt like she loved her instantly. And the worry she felt toward the baby was unrelenting.

Tifa was suddenly pulled away from her thoughts by the feeling of a lukewarm hand upon her right shoulder. She turned her head and was surprised when she saw Doctor Sephiroth standing there beside her.

"How's the little one doing?" He asked in a concerned manor.

Tifa had to admit, he was the last person in he world she would expect to see up here checking on the baby, or perhaps he was just checking on her. Still, she felt comfort immediately for some reason. Tifa shook her head as if to tell him the child wasn't doing well.

"The nurses are skilled, they'll take good care of her. She'll make it." He assured as he looked into her eyes. He didn't know what had overtaken him, but he knew he needed to do something. Anything. This was an opportunity to speak with her, perhaps get to know her.

"Thank you, Doctor." Tifa said gratefully. She didn't know why, but she felt like he had rescued her just then. From her own worry that had been consuming her and driving her to a dangerous ledge.

"What does your schedule look like? I know you're here all night as well." He stated as he retracted his hand from her shoulder.

Tifa felt cold after that, but she appreciated the effort he was making to comfort her. And she couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to ask her out. "I've got a patient who was induced about an hour ago. But she's not making any progress really, so.."

"You do need to eat, come." He said to her turning on his heel and walking toward the elevator.

A smile spread across Tifa's face at his words. He was telling her, rather than asking. But she, in all honesty, didn't mind it. She practically needed him to tell her, otherwise if he had given her an option, she would've stayed there all night.

So she gave the child she had been watching so desperately through he nursery glass one last look before following the silver haired man into the elevator.

He had to admit, he was glad she followed him. He didn't know what he would've done if Doctor Lockhart hadn't gotten into the elevator, he knew that he would've felt incredibly stupid and pretentious.

"Thank you, Doctor. I needed to get away from there for a moment." Tifa said kindly as she looked at the doctor across from her.

"I thought you might." He replied.

"So about earlier, you know when I was in the surgical wing. We were talking, you were going to say something?" She looked up at him with curious eyes.

Sephiroth gave a faint smile and nodded, "I had planned to ask you to dinner."

Tifa found herself a bit flustered and caught off guard. She knew, even though she hoped that she wasn't, she was blushing. "Does this count?" She asked casually, trying to remain calm.

"No." He said with a light chuckle.

"So this is like a pre-date?" Tifa knew that if she did say yes to him, her father would take credit for it, that was the last thing she wanted. But it didn't mean she would say no, she just would neglect to tell her father about it.

"Sure. It's like a screening."

Tifa giggled, was the serious and stoic surgeon being funny? It was even funnier with his calm expression. "Okay. Deal. A screening and then a date?"

"Precisely. Are you interested?" He inquired as a silvery brow raised.

"Yes, I think I am." She said with a smile.

When he saw her lighten up, and give him a real, genuine smile, Sephiroth became addicted. And from that point on, he made it a personal goal to chase after that smile. And do what he could to see it. "Great." He said following the tone of the elevator bell as they reached the first floor where the cafe was.

The pair walked in together and caught several curious glances from a few nurses, and patients, and families of patients. They paid no mind.

At this time of night, the only option for food were sandwiches. Both doctors were aware, they weren't that bad. At least it was something.

When they found their seats, Sephiroth found himself hoping to goodness the woman wouldn't get paged away, like she always seemed to when they were together. But it didn't look like it would happen.

"So where did you come from, Doctor Sephiroth?" Tifa inquired curiously, before frowning at how terrible her sandwich tasted.

He chuckled lightly at her scowl and look of contempt toward the food she was trying to eat before answering. "I went to med school in Gongaga."

Tifa gulped down as much water as she could without choking before responding. "Do you know Doctor Fair?" She inquired, knowing that her friend had also gone to med school there.

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes. We went to school there together. I always ridiculed his choice of specialization."

"Is there anything wrong with what he picked?" Tifa now gave him a look of contempt. She was proud of the work she did.

"It's not the line of work, it's the fact that a pretty boy such as himself would pick to work as a women's doctor. He was asking for it."

"And what do you mean by 'it', Doctor?" Tifa crossed her arms.

Sephiroth sighed inwardly, he was in trouble now. "Women throwing themselves at him."

"Well with Zack, I'm sure that happened before he became a doctor." Tifa defended. Still feeling a little burned by what he said.

Sephiroth noted that Tifa not only dropped the 'doctor' from Zack's name, but she just called him Zack. Zack alone. How close were they? "I didn't mean to offend you, Doctor Lockhart."

"No, it's okay. I understand what you meant. It's fine. So do you like surgery? What you specialize in now?" Tifa shook it off, she could tell he didn't mean to insult her career.

"I enjoy it. I like practicing here as well, it's a good facility." Sephiroth noted as he watched the woman across from him subtly scrutinize him.

Tifa smiled at him. "Well my father takes pride in this hospital that's for sure. I'm glad you enjoy it."

Sephiroth gave her a nod. "How's Elena doing?" He inquired curiously.

Tifa smiled fondly, it was nice to hear him ask about the patient they had previously bonded over. "She's doing well. I think she's getting antsy, being on bed rest for so long can take a toll."

"But everything seems to be looking good?" He asked.

Tifa gave him a nod and a smile. "It all looks great. Baby is doing well too. Thank you for your help with her. I should've trusted your judgement back then."

"I'm glad to have helped, Doctor Lockhart." He replied kindly.

"You can call me Tifa." She offered with a warm smile.

"Wel then, I'm glad to have helped," he paused. "Tifa."

•

* * *

Yuffie walked around Tifa's house in boredom, she didn't really like it there unless Tifa was there. She had nothing to do. Unless she wanted to drink, because Tifa stoked her house full of wine. Every closet had a secret stash. Maybe she should've just gone to her place, at least she could put in a movie.

She found herself wondering how on earth she just so happened to catch Cloud and Aerith that day. But she knew that sometimes people were asking to get caught when they knew they were doing wrong. People slip up and are bound to make mistakes. Still, she did miss him a little. It wasn't like she had gotten asked out by Vincent, all the hurt that Cloud had caused had just disappeared. And the feelings she had toward Cloud hadn't just dissipated.

When she was alone, that's when everything really sank in. Memories of the blonde flashed through her mind. The recollections of fun times they had together continually pushed themselves to the forefront of her mind until it nearly drove her mad. Her chest suddenly felt right, and she began to really grieve.

Maybe wine wasn't such a bad idea after all. Tifa wouldn't mind, and if she did Yuffie didn't have to tell her. She shuffled her way into the spacious kitchen and walked up to the wine cabinet. She settled for a sweet white wine, red was too bitter for her anyway. "Tifa, why don't you have any fun liquor?" She asked aloud. But then she remembered, Tifa is a doctor. And of course wine is healthy for the heart and lower in calories than other alcohols.

After pouring herself a glass, she walked herself back to the living room. She kept wondering just what Cloud had done to Tifa, something bad enough to keep her single for five plus years. Yuffie sighed to herself and plopped down onto Tifa's couch. She was hoping that tomorrow Mr. Valentine would be released from the hospital.

Suddenly, a smile crept across her face as she realized. Tifa was Vincent's cousin. Perhaps she had some family photos hiding somewhere in the house. After finishing her glass, she sprang up from the couch and began her search.

Now she was feeling a little more cheery, and perhaps that was the wine, but she didn't care. The first place she searched was the living room. She looked in the cabinets of the entertainment center only to find movies and a few board games. She rolled her eyes and moved on to the upstairs area. She didn't want to search Tifa's bedroom. That would just be too personal.

So onward she went into the guest bedroom. She noticed a few boxes atop the shelf in the closet. That had to have some kind of memorabilia from Tifa's past. Standing on her tippy toes, she reached up and got one of the dusty boxes down. She turned her body and set the box on the floor. "Hmm... Let's see what we have here... Tifa's gonna kill me." She said with a sly giggle.

She sat herself down beside the box and opened it up, sure enough, there were pictures. But she frowned at the first one she saw that was still in a frame. It was a very young looking Tifa and Cloud with their arms around one another, posing for an awkward photo taken by a parent no doubt. She couldn't believe how small they looked. It was bitter sweet for Yuffie to look upon them as a pair. And part of her began to regret the decision to snoop around.

She dug deeper into the box and found an entire stack of loose photos. She began to shuffle through them. Some were of Tifa and Cloud being goofy teenagers, and some of Tifa and her father. But then she finally hit the jackpot. She stumbled across photos of what seemed to be a family reunion. Tifa and Vincent were seated next to one another at a dinner table. Tifa was smiling warmly and Vincent looked less than thrilled that his picture was being taken. His hair was much shorter then, barely even grazing his broad shoulders.

Yuffie giggled to herself, thinking how adorable he looked. He must've only been sixteen or so. And Tifa looked to be around the same. The closer Yuffie looked, the more she realized the resemblance between the two. "They could really be siblings." She whispered before continuing her search.

•

* * *

The night wore on tirelessly. Tifa found herself pacing the halls and sipping on coffee to keep herself awake as the hours continued by slowly. It was about three a.m. now. She and Doctor Sephiroth had talked for around an hour before he was whisked away for an emergency surgery.

She didn't expect her patient to deliver until the later morning hours, she want progressing in dilation and just needed rest. Tifa was trying to restrain herself from checking up on the baby girl from earlier, but she couldn't help herself. She walked down the hall and through he nurses station, into the NICU. The nurses weren't too accustomed to a doctor walking in on their turf, but welcomed her regardless.

"I wanted to see little Marlene." She admitted to them, almost shyly. The nurses gladly ushered her in, and she walked to the little girl's panda warmer. The poor thing was hooked up to an iV, a blood pressure monitor on her foot and heart and breathing monitors taped to her chest. She was also on oxygen.

"Has she got apnea?" Tifa inquired as she stared down at the fragile creature who looked to be incredibly still.

"Yes, she stops breathing periodically, and her dependence on drugs has us giving her small doses of amphetamines, to keep her from withdrawal while we wean her."

Tifa couldn't really find words. But she felt anger rising up within her. Anger toward the irresponsible mother who got herself pregnant in the first place, knowing she was probably a life long junkie. Angry that she had the baby with zero prenatal care because she knew she would get caught using drugs.

The baby was small, and fragile. She had a tuft of dark brown hair, and almond shaped eyes that were still glazed with the baby color of blue that most newborns have. Her hands curled up into tiny fists and she kicked he tiny legs a few times, and Tifa felt her heart leap a little. She turned to the nurses by her side. "Has CPS been contacted?"

"We called them once this little one was stable, they'll be here around 8:00 this morning." One of the nurses replied.

"Please page me as soon as they do. I'd like to speak with them."

•

* * *

The next morning, Yuffie woke on the floor of Tifa's spare bedroom, surrounded by old pictures of Tifa, Cloud and Vincent. She looked at her phone, relieved to know that she still had time to get ready for work.

While she put the pictures back into the box, she inwardly hoped that when she arrived at work, Vincent would be getting ready to be discharged. "There." She said to herself after returning the box to its place.

She made quick work of showering and doing her normal grooming routine. She was eager to get to the hospital, even if it meant she got there early. She put on her fresh pair of navy blue scrubs with a pink long sleeved top underneath it, and once she was finished with her makeup she pranced downstairs and snatched her keys from the counter

She arrived at work in almost record time, but that was because Tifa's home was quite close to the hospital. Purposefully of course.

The feelings of sadness and remorse were fading away, becoming covered up by the excitement she felt toward seeing the dark haired patient that awaited her. But being in the parking lot threatened to take that away from her. So she quickly got out of her car and ran inside, away from the painful memories, away from the hurt.

She was greeted by the ladies at the front counter, and she waved back. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the elevator to make her way onto the second floor. She was also hoping that he would be discharged so she could resume her place in the labor and delivery unit. She was ready to be back where she belonged.

Once her things were nestled away in her locker and she was officially on the clock, she made the familiar journey down the hall to room 212. After knocking and receiving the okay to enter, she walked in.

Doctor Hewely was in the room already checking over Mr. Valentine's incision. And Yuffie could tell it was healing very nicely. She also noticed that his Iv was taken out. That was a good sign. His foli car here was also gone. From what she could tell anyway.

Vincent looked up when he heard the door close, and he was pleased to see nurse Yuffie walk in. Her countenance seemed to be slightly less chipper than usual, but she still wore a welcoming smile. "Good morning, nurse Yuffie." He greeted before wincing as the doctor prodded at his wound.

"Sorry," Doctor Hewely offered. "You're looking good, I think you're ready to go home."

Vincent sighed relieved. "Good. It's about time I get out of this bed before my muscles atrophy." He said with a light chuckle.

"Glad we were able to treat you, Mr. Valentine." The doctor started, "Yuffie go ahead and do a final work up on him and I'll get the discharge forms for him." He stated before exiting the room.

Yuffie was glad to. She walked to him and took he blood pressure cuff from the machine beside his bed. "Give me your arm." She said softly.

Vincent happily obliged and raised his arm a bit from its resting place upon the bed he was so eager to get away from. Her cool hands touched the skin of his arm as she wrapped the cuff around his muscle. Soon he felt the discomfort as it squeezed the life from him, he always hated getting his blood pressure taken.

Yuffie smiled at the healthy reading before she removed the cuff and tried not to stare at the defined muscle. She couldn't help but notice once again that he was just in impeccable shape. "Looking good." She stated before realizing what she had said. "Th-the numbers j mean." She said with a nervous giggle.

Vincent chuckled to himself and quirked a curious brow. "Oh? Why thank you." He teased.

Yuffie playfully smacked his arm before taking his temperature and recording it on the computer in the room. Following that, she removed her stethoscope from around her neck and put the plugs in her ears. "It's cold, I'm sorry." She said before placing the end upon his chest under his gown. "Deep breath."

Vincent inhaled deeply and exhaled at her command, and repeated the process once before she moved the stethoscope to listen to his heart. He wondered if his heart rate was elevated a little, he certainly felt like it was.

"Everything sounds good. You're healthy as a horse." Yuffie giggled as she returned her stethoscope to its rightful place around her neck.

"You've taken such good care of me. Thank you for all of your kindness." He offered her gratefully. "When are you off?" He inquired curiously.

"I'm off at seven. If you're asking about dinner, let's plan for tomorrow night."

"It's a date." He replied with a smile.

•

A/N: next chapter will be more exciting I promise! The dates are coming up!


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey there! Once again, I'm sorry for the delay. I'm so thankful for all of you and your kind words! You're all so wonderful! Please continue to review! I'm sorry this one isn't too lengthy! I'll make it up to you!**

 **-B.**

* * *

"What are you going to wear?!" Chirped an overly anxious Yuffie as she and her companion exited the hospital that evening. She was referring to the date that Tifa was about to go on this evening with the prestigious doctor who'd had his eye on her since the day he set foot in the building.

"You've got your own date to prepare for, so stop bugging me about mine." Tifa said sharply, looking at Yuffie in annoyance.

The behavior that Tifa displayed signaled to Yuffie that Tifa was pretty nervous. And she had every right to be. However, she was nervous herself about her date, and perhaps she was deferring a bit.

"Seriously, Teef! It's important!" Yuffie nudged as the two entered Tifa's vehicle.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Okay, what are you wearing then?" Now it was her turn to defer. Inwardly she was very nervous for this date. It had been an extremely long time since anyone had taken her out, and part of her kept thinking about Zack.

"I was thinking about a black cocktail dress, keep it simple but elegant, you know?" Yuffie replied while glancing over at the driver.

"That doesn't sound much like you, Yuffie. You know that." Tifa responded while keeping her eye on the road. "Is this about you wanting to borrow an outfit?"

Yuffie giggled nervously and smiled. "Maybe?"

Tifa shook her dark head and chuckled softly. "Okay, you can raid my closet if you want." Tifa had known Yuffie long enough to know what she was really asking for.

"Thank you!" Yuffie exclaimed in excitement. Tifa had a lot more to chose from than herself, and this way she could ensure that she looked good, with Tifa's help.

As they walked into Tifa's home, Yuffie smiled eagerly to herself. "So where is he taking you?"

Tifa glanced tiger her shoulder as she walked up the staircase. "I don't know yet," she replied before walking into her bedroom and opening the doors to her walk in closet. She was nervous, but hoping things went well. Her fingers grazed over the hanging materials of her wardrobe as she contemplated the night ahead of her.

"I'm so jealous..." Yuffie walked past her and started sorting through different possibilities.

"Don't be, you practically live here." Tifa giggled and continued to looking through her clothing. She stumbled across a fuchsia pencil skirt and she removed it from the hanger and examined it thoroughly.

"That would look good with this!" Yuffie pulled a fitted leather jacket from a hanger with silver plated zippers, and handed it to her friend. "Just wear a black v-neck underneath and some black heels! Sexy!" Yuffie smirked at her friend. "You think you and him will..."

"Yuffie!" Tifa's cheeks flushed and began to heat up with a blush. "No! It's the first date!"

"Don't rule it out, Dr. Lockhart.." Yuffie snickered to herself and picked out a red bi-level skirt with a sheer fabric over top, and a white halter top which she paired with a short jean jacket. She wanted to keep her look slightly more casual since it was only sushi. Still, she was excited to see Vincent, and thought it was comical that she and Tifa both had their first dates on the same night. It felt like they were getting ready for the high school prom.

"That looks like a good choice, Yuffie." Tifa assured her friend before laying her own clothes out on her bed.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it! I owe you!" Yuffie hugged her friend briefly.

"Coffee, tomorrow morning." Tifa smiled at the thought. She wouldn't have to make her coffee run tomorrow and that would save her some valuable time.

"Alright, alright. Have fun tonight Tifa." Yuffie giggled and took her clothes and walked out the door to get herself ready for her own evening out.

* * *

She glanced out the window, part of her hoping Cloud would take notice that a handsome and wealthy business man came and picked up what Cloud had taken for granted. But she continually reminded herself that this night wasn't about Cloud at all or their former relationship. It was about getting to know Vincent on a personal level, rather than patient based.

She felt confident in her attire, and she felt ready for the evening. It was a good thing she was prepared because it was at that moment she heard the knock on her door.

Inwardly, she squealed happily and a smile spread across her painted red lips. She snagged her black leather clutch from the kitchen counter and walked to the door, opening it up.

There he stood, looking absolutely stunning. His hair was down, and parted to the side, hanging elegantly but not too nearly around his shoulders and back. He wore a dark gray button up shirt paired with a black tie that probably cost upward of 100 dollars. His pants were a pair of dark designer jeans paired with a pair of black dress shoes.

He looked her up and down with great subtlety, the petite girl before him had taken his breath away. He'd never seen her out of her nurses attire, and he could see her for who she was. Because nursing was what she did, but it wasn't who she was. And he was ready to see more of that person tonight. "You look lovely," he uttered with a smile.

Yuffie blushed, flattered by his compliment. "So do you." She said before giggling and shaking her head, "I mean.. You look handsome."

Vincent chuckled and smiled at her comment, one of the things he was growing to love about her was her laugh. He gently reached out and took her hand with his. "Shall we?"

"Absolutely!" Yuffie said before following him to his car, which she found to be incredibly intimidating. It must've costed him a fortune. He was quite the gentleman though, opening her door for her. Smiling and thanking him, she climbed into the car and placed her clutch on her lap. She watched him walk around the car and couldn't help but smile, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world, to have the opportunity to get to know such a unique man. She had been so caught up watching him, she didn't notice Cloud standing on his front step, watching them with a look of detest.

Vincent got into the car and the two were off. "So, did you return to work today?" Yuffie asked him, turning to look at the admirable man beside her.

"I certainly did." He said with a light chuckle. "Did you return to your rightful job?"

"Yep. Taking care of pregnant women and babies. It's the best." Yuffie replied happily.

"It sounds like you really enjoy your job. I have a lot of respect for people in the medical field. It's hard work." Vincent smiled warmly, though he kept his eye on the road.

"That must be why Chief Lockhart loves you so much." Yuffie stated.

"Why? Because of my donations to the hospital?" Vincent inquired, raising a curious brow.

"Of course. Everyone knows he's a little greedy, right? But it isn't a bad thing that you donate to the hospital, it's very thoughtful." Yuffie smiled happily, hoping that she hadn't offended him with her statement.

"Well thank you. It has a lot to do with Tifa. I could care less about her father. I doubt he'll be chief of medicine for long anyway."

Yuffie looked at him curiously, "do you know something we don't?"

Vincent pulled up to the restaurant and parked his car. "I'm not permitted to say anything about that." He smiled over at her. "Let's enjoy our dinner, shall we?"

"Of course." Yuffie brushed off the question, but she didn't plan on forgetting what he mentioned. It sounded fishy to her.

Before she knew it, he was opening her door once again and offering his hand to her. Yuffie smiled up at him and placed her hand delicately in his own and got out of the car.

The restaurant looked a little more fancy than Yuffie had anticipated, however she didn't mind. It was gorgeous inside. The lighting was dim, and the setting was elegant and romantic.

Their table was secluded and lit with a soft flamed candle and a fresh bundle of carnations on the table. "This is so pretty." Yuffie said softly as she delicately touched the petals of the light pink carnation.

"You think so?" Vincent asked rhetorically.

A waitress was soon at the table and giving the two fresh iced water and their menus for the evening. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She said kindly before walking away once more.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had chosen a different path in life?" Yuffie inquired as she looked after the waitress. "Like where would you be now if you hadn't decided to be a businessman?" She turned her attention to the man sitting across from her with thoughtful eyes.

"I probably wouldn't be sitting here across from you."

"Well I'm glad that you are." Yuffie offered him a smile, which he returned.

"Me too, Yuffie."

* * *

Tifa sat on her couch waiting for Doctoe Sephiroth to show up, but he was already an hour late. She should've known that something like this would've happened to her. Of course she had gotten her hopes up for something that wouldn't even take place.

Finally, she took her shoes off, set them aside and made her way to her kitchen to pour herself a big glass of wine, but as she did she heard a knock at the door. She rolled her eyes, preparing to give him an angry lashing.

When she swung the door open she saw Sephiroth standing there, holding a large bouquet of flowers with a sorrowful expression on his face. "I'm so sorry." He sighed painfully. "I lost a patient in surgery and spent the last hour with the family."

Tifa's eyes grew wide and she looked at him in shock. He had lost his very first patient ever. Every physician remembers the first time they lose their first patient, and they never forget as long as they live. It's a painful process that usually happens during residency, and eventually they use the experience to help them in the future. But it must've been extremely hard for the man to fall so far from his pedestal. He'd been a doctor for several years, but hadn't lost anyone once. Until now.

Tifa took the flowers from him and took his hand with her other, and lead him inside. Placing the flowers on her kitchen counter, Tifa went to the man and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry." She said softly. She knew how hard it must be on him.

Sephiroth hugged her slowly, surprised at her sudden gesture of affection. It was very unexpected, however it was appreciated. He felt terrible, and perhaps in the back of his mind he knew that it was bound to happen, but he wasn't ready for it. It was a slap in the face and the pain never seemed to alleviate itself. Suddenly, he raised his hand and strokes the back of her head, his long fingers finding their way through silky black tresses.

Tifa was surprised at the feelings that began to arise as his arms wrapped around her. She pressed her head to his chest and inhaled deeply. He smelled like faded cologne and still had the lingering sent that only the hospital could leave. "I'm so sorry." She mumbled again.

"Thank you for your comfort. I'm sorry I was late." He admitted, as he reluctantly pulled away. "Are you ready?"

"Why don't we stay here." Tifa suggested. "I'm sure the last thing you need is to be around people." She walked to her kitchen and handed him the glass of wine that she had intended to drink. Afterward she poured herself one and lead him to her living room and promoted him to sit on the couch beside her.

Sephiroth obliged, and inwardly was very grateful for her offer to stay in. He felt like hell, and the last thing he wanted was to pretend like he didn't.

"I remember the first patient I lost. It was during my residency." Tifa said before taking a light sip of wine. "I neglected to treat a patient with hypertension during a delivery and she had a bleed on the brain because of sever edema." Tifa admitted sorrowfully. "It was the worst day of my life."

"I just..."

"It doesn't really get easier. But I know without a doubt that you did everything you could. You're a great doctor." Tifa assured.

Sephiroth smiled a little. "Thank you for your kindness, Tifa." He offered. "I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it." Tifa smiled back.

"You look beautiful, by the way." Sephiroth offered before taking a sip of wine.

Tifa blushed, "thank you."

"How's Marlene? The little girl in the NICU?" Sephiroth inquired, longing to change the subject.

"CPS is looking for a family to adopt her." Tifa started, her finger tracing the rim of her glass.

"Her mother lost custody?" Sephiroth asked.

"She nearly killed herself and the baby because of her addiction. She doesn't deserve to be a mother." Tifa spat.

"Sometimes people just can't recover on their own."

"I'm thinking of adopting her." Tifa blurted, looking to Sephiroth from some type of approval.

"Really?" He asked curiously. He was finding Tifa to be one of the most compassionate people he had ever met. And he admired that deeply.

Tifa nodded. "I don't know what it is, Sephiroth. But that baby, I think I need her."

"Don't adopt a baby for your own selfish reasons, do it for her." Sephiroth stated, looking at Tifa firmly.

"You're right. I feel like I can give her a good life." Tifa seemed to be mulling it over within her mind.

"I think you would be a wonderful mother." Sephiroth admitted. "I don't think I know another person with as much compassion as yourself."

Tifa smiled and blushed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Thank you, that's sweet of you."

Suddenly she felt his hand cup the side of her cheek and their eyes locked. Her heart began to pound in her chest and both of them leaned in close and then their lips collided softly.

* * *

Yuffie linked her arm in Vincent's and walked with him from the restaurant to his car with the widest smile spread across her face. "Tonight was wonderful, thank you so much."

"I really enjoyed your company, Yuffie." Vincent admitted as they stopped in front of his car.

Yuffie sprang up on her tippy toes and kissed the man on the cheek. The two had enjoyed their evening together, and surprisingly they hit it off quite better than either had anticipated.

Vincent chuckled at her gesture before patting the top of her head and kissing her forehead. "Thank you for coming tonight." He said kindly before he opened her car door for her.

"I had a great time." Yuffie said as she climbed into his car. It was refreshing to spend an evening with a man who was a real gentleman. Cloud wasn't rude or anything, but he had never treated her so kindly. She actually felt like a princess.

Vincent got into the car and started it up. He had never enjoyed an evening out so much. Yuffie was funny, and sweet and beautiful all in one. She was extremely unique, and he couldn't get enough of it. "I'd like to do this again, if that's okay?"

"Of course! I'd love to, Vincent." Yuffie stated happily.

"Can I cook you dinner?"

"Tall, dark, handsome and you can cook?! I really found myself a catch, didn't I?" Yuffie folded her arms across her chest and smiled even more. "Alright, I'll let you cook me dinner."

"Are you free tomorrow night?" He inquired looking over at her.

"I am." Yuffie returned his gaze and sighed happily. "Can I kiss you?" She asked without a thought before blushing wildly and covering her mouth.

Vincent chuckled again and smiled. "Come here, Yuffie." Gently he pried her hand away from her mouth, and leaned in to kiss her.

Yuffie blushed even more and leaned in, closing her eyes she pressed her lips against his.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! I'm sorry that the last chapter was short. And this one isn't that long either, however I have been away a while and so I felt like I needed to give you a little something. I certainly miss hearing from you all! Please do continue to give me your feedback. You are all so fabulous.**

 **-B.**

* * *

Tifa walked into her office the next morning, happily remembering her evening spent with the wonderful surgeon , Doctor Sephiroth. She had to admit, she was very surprised at how much the two of them actually hit it off. They both had such high esteem for one another and the work that they did, and they also had quite a few things in common.

A warm smile sprd across her face as she gazed upon the fresh bouquet of flowers sitting on her desk, and this time they had a note attached.

 _Thank you for last night_

 _-Sephiroth_

She held the note in her hands fondly, grazing the parchment delicately with her fingertips. Perhaps she was becoming a little smitten, and by now she knew he must've been the one who had been sending her the flowers all this time.

"I take it your date went well, huh?" Yuffie said with a devious smirk plastered across her face and Tifa's coffee in hand.

Tifa glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Yuffie. A genuine smile that Yuffie hadn't seen before, and Yuffie was actually taken aback by it. It warmed her heart to see her friend happy like this. "It did." Tifa replied warmly. "How was your night with Vince?"

"He's the sweetest man I've ever met, Tifa." Yuffie said as she handed her friend her promised coffee and sat herself on the desk.

"Yeah, he's sweet when he wants to be." Tifa replied before she looked at her schedule for the day. She felt her chest tighten when she saw who her first patient of the day was. Aerith Fair. She would be performing an amnio, and they would be finding out who the baby belonged to.

"Oh no," Yuffie said with a sigh as she looked over Tifa's shoulder. "Do we have to?"

"She's still our patient, Yuffie and we are going to treat her as such." Tifa reprimanded.

"Yeah, you just want to treat it like nothing happened because of what happened between you and Zack." Yuffie mumbled as she hopped down from the desk.

"I didn't reciprocate what happened. That was all on him." Tifa said before sipping her coffee. "Go get a room ready for her." Tifa ordered.

Yuffie sighed and walked out of the office to do as she was told. The last thing she wanted was to see that woman and her two timing beautiful face. She wished she could just hand her off to someone else, but with Tifa and Zack being the only two available obstetricians there wasn't really another option. The hospital needed to hire another OB.

She tried to focus on memories of her date with Vincent as she prepared the room, but instead memories of her ex boyfriend kissing the person whom she would be treating. Why was it surfacing again? She had hoped to have buried that hurt and pain with new and happy moments shared with someone who treated her so well.

Despite her feelings, she made sure the room was in tip top shape. It looked nice and tidy, and everything Tifa would need for the procedure was also in place. Hopefully she wouldn't have to see Cloud.

She made it back to Tifa's office in time to see Zack and Aerith going over the paperwork for her procedure. Zack looked less than thrilled to be there, and little miss sunshine looked nervous as hell. Yuffie wanted to punch her, but she wouldn't dare do that to a pregnant woman.

Tifa seemed to have herself composed, she was smiling and talking them through everything that would take place, even though Zack already knew everything. Of course he did.

It was taking everything within her to keep calm, sitting in front of Zack and Aerith. Tifa still felt guilty for the strange romantic encounter they had shared, even though she put a stop to it. Actually she felt a little nervous. But she wasn't about to let that show.

Once they had gone over everything, Tifa instructed Yuffie to show them to their room while she could prepare for the procedure.

Yuffie, reluctantly lead Doctor Fair and his adulterous wife to the room and got the woman a fresh gown. "Go ahead and change into this and we'll take it from there, okay?"

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna grab something from my office." Zack interjected before he exited the room.

Aerith's green eyes traveled the length of the room as she watched henr husband leave. And she saw the young nurse start to follow suit. "Wait." She said softly. "Can I talk to you? Please?"

Yuffie turned around to face the woman, which was the last thing she really wanted to do. However, Tifa had challenged her to take the high road. "Yes?"

"What you saw a few days ago, it was honestly a misunderstanding."

"What I saw was a pretty passionate kiss shared between two people who were supposed to be committed to other people. " Yuffie crossed her arms. Tifa could get mad if she wanted, but Aerith was the one who brought it up.

"Cloud happened to be stopping by the hospital to meet you," she started. "Let me back up. Before you two got together, we had a small fling. It was around the time I got pregnant. I know, I know. It was a mistake on my part. Anyway, I was here to get an ultrasound and I saw him in the parking lot. And when I told him the baby might be his, we just.. Kissed."

"And you expect me to believe there wasn't something going on before that? That the fling wasn't a continuing thing?" Yuffie crinkled her nose in detest. Who did this girl think she was?

"Yuffie... Nurse." Aerith corrected herself. "I'm telling you the truth. It was a mistake. Cloud and I haven't spoken since then. I told him that I would let him know if the baby was his, but that was it. He feels so bad, Yuffie. I think he loves you!"

"That isn't your business." Yuffie blinked, processing the information the woman was feeding to her. "I don't really know what to say."

"Just hear me out. And hear him out, please." Aerith looked at her sorrowfully, tears pooling within her emerald eyes.

Yuffie felt a tug at her heart, she knew people make mistakes. Zack and Tifa for instance. It was a mistake that they both acknowledged was wrong. But she had just met Vincent, she liked him. She liked Cloud. Maybe it was time for her to press Tifa one more time for what really happened between them. Maybe if she knew, it would help her come to a final conclusion about the man.

"G-go ahead and get changed. Doctor Lockhart and I will be in momentarily." She instructed before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

To her surprise, she saw Zack standing beside the door, leaning against the wall. "I honestly think she's telling the truth, Yuffie."

"You think so? You're gonna trust someone who hurt you not once but twice?" Yuffie spat back, frustrated that he had caught on to her emotions so quickly.

"She's my wife."

"And if that child isn't yours? What are you gonna do?" Yuffie was growing more and more angry by the second.

"Well I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there, Yuff." Zack could see how upset she was, and deep down he was a little upset too. But he was pretty guilty himself because of his feelings toward the doctor who had just walked up.

"Everything okay, you two?" Tifa asked curiously.

"Don't you just look so cute in scrubs." Zack chuckled before walking into the room.

Tifa frowned deeply as she looked after him. Her cheeks flush with a light pink hue. "What the hell." She mumbled, looking at Yuffie.

"Oh this is just the weirdest situation."

* * *

"Okay, you know the drill. Bed rest for at least 24 hours, you can only get up to use the bathroom, alright?" Tifa instructed before tossing her purple gloves in the biohazard container. "You should order your lunch soon."

"Thank you, doctor." Aerith said gratefully.

"Should have the results in a few hours. Sit tight, okay?" Tifa smiled warmly and exited the room, desperate to escape from the blue-eyed gaze she was receiving from Zack. She was furious about his comment, sure it was normal for them before their little incident, but not now. She would be sure to scold him.

Yuffie followed Tifa, she too was happy to get out of there. She was unsure she could stay in 'nice girl' mode for much longer. "Cute in scrubs, huh?"

"Oh shut up!" Tifa smacked Yuffie's arm. "Dammit, what's his problem?"

"Tifa you know what his problem is. You." Yuffie stated as the two of them made their way back to Tifa's office. "Don't act like you don't know."

"Doctor Lockhart." A fellow nurse started as she walked up to the pair. "You've been paged to the first floor."

"What's it about?" Tifa inquired curiously.

"The police are here to speak with you." The nurse stated before making her way back to the nurses station.

"Police?! What did you do, Tifa?!" Yuffie exclaimed, looking at her friend in shock.

Tifa shook her head quickly. "I don't know what this could be about. Stay here and get started on my next patient. Hopefully I'll be back up when I can." Tifa said before rushing to the elevators.

Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and she felt sick to her stomach. She was racking her brain for any reason the police would want to speak with her, and she simply couldn't come up with anything.

When she reached the first floor she saw two police officers speaking with Vincent in front of her father's office. When they saw her, the three of them walked up to her and met her in the hallway. "Vincent, what's going on?"

"Are you Tifa Lockhart?" Asked a tall, muscular man with a shaved head and dark sunglasses that he was seemingly reluctant to remove.

"Yes, I am. Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Tifa tried to look toward her father's office, and suddenly it occurred to her that this had something to do with him. "Where's my father?"

"He's in custody, ma'am. We need to ask you a few questions." The second officer stated. "Would you mind coming with us?"

"Yes, I actually would. I have several patients today and I cannot reschedule. What the he'll is going on?!" Tifa demanded.

"Were you aware that your father was stealing narcotics from the hospital pharmacy?" This time, the intimidating officer removed his sunglasses and his dark eyes met with hers.

"Stealing narcotics?!" Tifa exclaimed.

"Tifa, calm down." Vincent offered a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"No, I didn't know!"

"Were you involved with helping him acquire the drugs?"

"Helping?! How he hell could I help him, if I had no idea he was stealing them in the first place?" She looked at the officers, both angry and confused. Her father had never shown signs of drug abuse. How could she not know? And second of all, why would they accuse her of helping him? She'd always done things by the book. "My practice is in obstetrics. There's not even a pharmacy on my floor. For you to accuse me is absolutely absurd."

"We just needed to clarify whether or not you knew that he was stealing narcotics. We will be continuing our investigation by questioning other doctors in the area." The second officer stated before the pair walked away from Vincent and Tifa.

"What the hell, Vincent?" Tifa asked as her eyes filled with uncertain tears. "What's going on?"

Vincent looked down at Tifa snd shook his dark head. "Tifa, the pharmacist came forward. He was taking the drugs and he was making her fudge the reports. They found obscene amounts of Vicodin in his office and his house. He's out of a job, he's going to jail Tifa."

"My dad is not a drug addict, I would know if he was high all the time! And what's this business about them suspecting me of helping him?" Tifa panicked, looking at her cousin desperately searching for answers.

"I don't know Tifa. You're gonna be fine, don't worry. The hospital records will show you haven't been anywhere near the pharmacy, and you'll be fine. I'll have the records pulled."

"So who the hell is in charge now, you?" Tifa put her hands on her hips, still reeling from the events that had just taken place.

"The board will be hiring an interim chief. I've got to go to the meeting now. Just try to stay calm." Vincent did his best to reassure Tifa, but it was obvious to him that she was not handling the situation well at all. Truth be told, Vincent knew about this situation a few days ago. The pharmacist had gone to the hospital board first, and Vincent, being the chairman had no choice but to contact the authorities. But if Tifa knew that he turned her father in, she wouldn't forgive him.

Tifa nodded slightly, still rattled. "I should go see him." She frowned, trying to decide if she should stay at the hospital or go visit her father. Whatever she decided, the fact that her father had been busted for drugs would look bad on her and the hospital. This wasn't going to be good, no matter how you spun it.

"Don't go to the police station, they'll only want to question you. But go home if you can't compose yourself."

"You know what, Vincent? Scree you if you think I can't handle my patients and compose myself. I'm not some hormonal teenager incapable of making rational decisions!" Tifa said before she turned around and walked back toward the elevator.

Once inside and the doors were closed she flung her hands over her face and began to weep. How had all of this happened? How did she not know about her father's drug abuse?

She could've stopped it, but she had no clue. She also had no clue that the elevator hadn't stopped on her floor, but the surgical floor instead.

Sephiroth was waiting for the elevator in order to check on the status of a patient awaiting surgery when he noticed Tifa backed against the corner of the elevator crying. Without hesitation, he rushed in and pressed the button that hastened the doors closing.

"Tifa, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, slowly approaching the crying girl.

Quickly Tifa dried her eyes and looked up at him. His face showed an expression of deep concern. Of course she would run into Sephiroth at a time like this. "I-I'm sorry. It's l... I don't even know how to explain what's happening. I don't want you to see me like this."

"You were there for me in my time of need, I would hope to be able to be there for you as well." Sephiroth was never really good at being sensitive. He didn't know how to comfort anyone, but he was going to try.

* * *

Yuffie had been waiting in Tifa's office for around thirty minutes and patients were beginning to back up. She had gotten the first one's vitals and stats, and she was waiting in an examination room. Yuffie was beginning to worry something bad had happened.

Still, despite the worry for her friend, she couldn't help but dwell upon what Aerith had told her earlier. She looked down at her phone, wondering if she should call Cloud and actually hear him out or not. She was pretty torn. On one hand, she had really hit it off with Vincent, and she was catching feelings rather quickly. On the other hand, she really never gave Cloud a chance to explain himself. It looked pretty clear to her, however maybe Aerith's story was true.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to give him a call, it didn't seem like Tifa was returning any time soon. Worrying about Tifa would only make Tifa mad. She would go looking if she didn't come back in another hour.

So after making sure the first patient was still comfortable in her room, she walked back to Tifa's office and closed the door behind her. She was a little nervous but she decided she would clear things up for once and for all.

After dialing his number, she nervously put the phone to her ear and waited.

 _"Y-Yuffie?"_ Came Cloud's uncertain voice from the other end of the line.

"There's some things I need to know, Cloud. How long were you and that slut seeing each other? Huh? Cause it wasn't just me you guys hurt, you also hurt her husband." Yuffie said in frustration.

" _Yuffie, I know. Zack is my best friend."_ Cloud started. " _There was something that happened between Aerith and I a few months back. We were both drunk and honestly I forgot about it."_

"Bullshit, Cloud! Then why would you be so eager to kiss her and feel her up in the parking lot?!"

" _When she told me that there was a chance it might be mine_ , _I remembered_." She heard an exasperated sigh on his end. " _When I saw that pregnancy test in the trash can, Yuffie part of me was really excited because I..._ " His voice cracked, and suddenly he went silent.

"You what? What Cloud?!" Yuffie spat, so ready for her answer.

" _I lost my son!"_ He exclaimed, painfully. " _Tifa and I we lost our son, she.. miscarried and our relationship ended after that. And when you didn't tell me about the pregnancy scare it made me angry. Those feelings resurfaced again. And then suddenly Aerith comes along claiming this kid could be mine and I just.."_

"Cloud... I-I didn't know. I'm so sorry." Yuffie's eyes stung and her heart slowly shattered. Now she knew, she knew why Tifa never wanted to talk about it. And why Cloud was so angry about the test. And now she was at a crossroads, because her heart was in two places at once.

* * *

She'd explained the situation as best she could and as quickly as she could to Sephiroth, but she knew that she had patients that were waiting. Aside from that, Zack and Aerith's results were likely in and she was done crying over the issue of her father. She didn't want to deal with it at the moment.

"God Tifa, that's terrible. What are you going to do?" He had his arm around her as they circled the surgical floor one last time. She had just told him quite a story about her father. No one had even suspected a thing. And now she was likely to be under investigation. The pressure she must've felt must've been unreal. Her practice was at stake.

"I'm going to see my patients, but after work will you come over? Please?" She asked with an unsteady voice.

"Of course."

"Doctor Sephiroth to O.R., Doxtor Sephiroth to O.R." Came the monotone voice over the intercom, ripping the pair apart.

"I'm sorry, see you tonight." Sephiroth said briskly before securing his stethoscope and running down the hallway.

Tifa smiled after him, thankful that she had him as a shoulder to cry on. But now she had work to do, and she was behind so she would have to work quickly. The first order of business would be picking up the results from the lab.

Luckily for her it was on the same floor, so she made her way down the hallway, the opposite direction Sephiroth had disappeared. She was hoping for the best for Zack, because he was so happy he was going to become a father. She didn't want to take that away from him.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if this investigation on her father would hinder her from adopting Marlene. She had become determined.

"Doctor Lockhart, here are your results for Mrs. Fair." The pathologist on the other side of the glass window of the lab handed her a manilla folder with the results.

"Thanks." Tifa said briskly, taking the folder and turning around to walk toward the elevator. When she saw the result she had to admit, she was rather surprised. Now all she had to do was break the news to the couple.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone! Here's another chapter for you. Hope you all enjoy and please review! Love hearing from you! :) friendly reminder, this is a drama.. Even though there hasn't been anything too intense. Thank you all!**

 **-B.**

* * *

"So, is everything okay?" Yuffie asked Tifa frantically as she watched Tifa walk back into the office after chatting with police. Yuffie had just gotten off the phone with Cloud and she needed Tifa, STAT. However, she needed to make sure Tifa was okay. She had just been to speak with the police and Yuffie was hoping everything was alright.

Tifa shook her head, holding the folder that held the results of Aerith's test close to her chest. "It's a long story, I'll explain it later. Right now we need to tell Zack and Aerith the results of the amnio." She said briefly before turning to walk toward their room.

"Tifa wait! I... I really need your help." Yuffie reached out and took her friend by the arm. She hadn't really said anything more to Cloud, just her condolences and then goodbye. But she was still confused and uncertain.

When Tifa turned around she could see the desperation in Yuffie's eyes. With the day Tifa was having, the last thing she needed was a big crisis with Yuffie. But suddenly, Yuffie took Tifa by surprise and the girl hugged her tightly. "Cloud, he told me what happened between you two. I'm so sorry! And now I'm just.. Confused.."

"Confused?!" Tifa suddenly pushed away from Yuffie and looked at her in shock. "Okay, here's the Cloud I know. He leaves any time things get hard. He can't handle emotional stress and he goes and does something stupid! Like cheats! Or leaves you in your biggest time of need!" Her face was red and flustered and her expression was stern.

Yuffie hadn't ever seen this side of Tifa, in fact Tifa looked like she was about to cry. Or had possibly already been crying. "If you pass Vincent up, you'll regret it. Look." She said, sighing heavily. "Do whatever the hell you want with Cloud, but I warned you."

Tifa turned around again and walked into Aerith's room, leaving Yuffie flabbergasted in the hallway. The couple seemed to be a bit anxious. Zack was seated beside her bed, and like a good husband, he held her hand and comforted her with kind and reassuring words. It seemed as though they had worked things out, yet again. Tifa felt for them, she really did. And hopefully it would stay that way.

Zack stood to his feet and looked at Tifa, hoping for the best his heart rate started to accelerate. "Well?" He couldn't get a good read on Tifa's expression. She was a good doctor, that was for sure.

"Your baby is looking great, Zack." Tifa said with a warm smile. She directed the statement at him, letting him know that the baby was his in so many words.

"So it's Zack's?" Aerith asked, eyes lighting up with hope. She knew that this was really their last chance to make things work, it wasn't likely for him to stay with her if it was Cloud's. Maybe, because he was just an all around good guy. That's what made it so difficult for her in the first place.

"Yes, the baby is Zack's." Tifa stated, giving Zack a reassuring nod.

"Thank you, Tifa." Aerith said with a sigh of relief and a smile as she reached for her husbands hand.

"Remember, only get up to go to the bathroom and that's it. Zack, keep an eye on that, got it?" Tifa instructed, looking Zack who was seemingly gleaming with excitement.

"I will. Thank you, Teef." Zack smiled and turned to his wife. "Things are going to be okay, babe."

"Page me if you need me." Tifa gave them a swift goodbye, and walked out of the room.

Now she had to deal with her patients with the day while suppressing the reeling thoughts about her father, the alleged drug addict and Yuffie trying to decide whether or not to get back together with Cloud. She would be so thankful when this day was over.

* * *

Yuffie was on her lunch break, contemplating all the things she loved about Cloud and their relationship before he screwed everything up. Perhaps she was just feeling guilty about his emotional response to his traumatic past with Tifa.

She knew that Tifa would never forgive her if she did get back together with Cloud. It could be compared to choosing McDonald's over a steak dinner. And deep down, Yuffie knew that. But when you care about someone, even for a short amount of time, it isn't always easy to put feelings aside, even if they hurt you. However, bad behavior is sometimes inexcusable.

But that's when Vincent walked into the cafe with a tall man with pale blonde hair. Both looked extremely dapper, wearing suits that looked too pricy to even think about. And she realized that Tifa had been right, if she let a man like Vincent slip through her fingers, she would regret it forever.

"Well fancy seeing you, here." Yuffie said as she walked up to the pair of business men. "Who's this?"

Vincent smiled, happy to see his favorite nurse. He was about to introduce the new interim chief to her, but the man spoke for himself.

"My name is Rufus Shinra." The man standing next to Vincent said, extending his hand toward Yuffie. "I'm the interim Chief of Medicine."

In all of her life, Yuffie had never seen a pair of eyes quite like his. They were a light-lavender color and full of curiosity. Regardless, she took his hand and shook it. "Hi I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, I'm the head nurse of the labor and delivery unit."

"I've heard good things about you, it's a pleasure to meet you." The man spoke with a prominent dialect, and his demeanor was almost intimidating.

She had felt as though she knew him, she had heard the name before. And the. Suddenly she realized that this was the man Cloud said he worked for. Probably not any more, seeing as how this man was now the interim chief. "So where is Chief Lockhart?" Yuffie asked, pushing aside the fact that this man was connected in some way to Cloud.

Yuffie remembered Vincent mentioning something about the Chief not being there much longer last night on their date, but she didn't think he meant immediately.

"Something has come up with Chief Lockhart. He will no longer be working at Midgar Regional Medical Center." Vincent replied.

"Oh.." Yuffie looked at Vincent curiously, wondering just what in the world was going on. Maybe that's why the police wanted to speak with Tifa, her father had done something bad. "Is he in trouble?"

"I can't discuss it right now, but we'll let everyone know what's going on when we have more information." Vincent stated.

"Okay..." Yuffie looked at him and gave him a slight smile. "Are we still on for tonight?" She was referring to the dinner date they had planned, he would be cooking her dinner at his place. And the more she thought about it, the more excited she became.

"Absolutely." Vincent assured her. "I'll see you after a bit, I'll be giving Mr. Shinra the tour, we'll be stopping by to meet Tifa and the others."

"Sounds good, see you soon. Nice to meet you, Mr. Shinra."

* * *

Yuffie turned herself around and shook her head, making her way back up to the fifth floor. She was glad that she had inwardly settled the dispute within her heart, but while she was experiencing those issues, she had failed to see a friend in need. How could she have been so ignorant? She decided she would have to make it up to her.

Aerith had sucked her into a world of uncertainty, with her charismatic personality and those sorrowful green eyes. Maybe she just felt guilty herself for leaving Cloud in the dust and perhaps she would feel better about herself if Yuffie came in and scooped him up off the floor.

She didn't really know for sure, but she had decided that she wouldn't get sucked into her ploy to get back together with Cloud. Now he was in the past. She did feel a little better, and felt as though things were resolved in a more civilized way rather than the way they left things in the parking lot that day. And she would leave it be now that they were. He was probably not one to change his ways, she knew that now.

Now she had to find Tifa to apologize for giving her a mini heart attack and find out what was going on with her dad. She looked around the labor and delivery unit when she didn't see her friend in her office.

She wasn't in any of the exam rooms or break rooms, and she wasn't in the NICU either. Yuffie thought perhaps she was visiting with Sephiroth, but she figured the nurses at the station would know something.

"Have you seen Doctor Lockhart?" Yuffie asked the nurse on the other side of the counter.

"She's in surgery. Apparently there was a teen girl who gave birth in the city, she didn't make it to the hospital in time. She was bleeding out." The woman replied, looking at Yuffie sadly.

"What? It was a teenager? Is the baby okay?" Yuffie asked, suddenly feeling rather nervous for the girl. She hated it when situations like this arose, sometimes patients didn't make it.

"The baby is in NICU, but stable. The girl has to have an emergency hysterectomy. A teenager, has to have a hysterectomy." The woman said, shaking her grey head. "It's so sad."

"Wow. So this baby is the only one she will ever have." Yuffie said as she turned her gaze toward the NICU. Had Yuffie not been on her lunch, she probably would've been assisting Tifa in the surgery, but it was too late now.

* * *

"Where is my baby?" The dazed and confused young woman asked as she was finally coming to. The anesthesia had begun to wear off and she was responding well to the pain medication. She looked around frantically, desperate for any information about her child. Her traumatic delivery left her wondering if her baby had survived.

"Hi there, Amanda. My name is Doctor Lockhart. Your baby is fine, he's in the NICU right now. The nurses there are taking great carse of him." Tifa spoke softly to the teenage girl, and when she looked down at her, she almost felt like she was looking down at a younger version of herself.

She too had gotten pregnant at a young age, and tragedy had struck as well. But this girl was lucky, in the sense that she would be able to hold and keep her child close to her. She would get to raise him and surprise herself at how good a mother she could really be.

"Can I see him?" The girl asked with uncertain eyes and a shaky voice that cracked. "Please?"

"Amanda, you just underwent a major surgery, we can't let you go anywhere until you're stable, and the same goes for your son. But you both are going to be just fine." Tifa assured as she took the young girl's hand.

"I had a surgery?" She asked, obviously confused about the situation.

"You had to have an emergency hysterectomy, you were bleeding out and hemorrhaging. We had to remove your uterus in order to save your life." Tifa explained. Giving bad news was the hardest part of being a doctor, but to Tifa, this was actually a victory.

"My uterus? You mean I can't have any more babies?" The girl's eyes stung with tears until she couldn't hold them back any more. "I wasn't planning on starting a family until later but my son, he was a surprise. And I had hoped to have more kids as I got a little older, and more settled in my life, you know?"

"I'm so sorry. But you need to cherish your son now. And there are other options out there if you decide in the future you want to be a mom again. I'm about to adopt a little girl myself." Tifa gently patted the girl's hand and gave her a soft smile.

"Really?" The girl smiled back, even though tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I think a girl would be lucky to have you as a mom."

It was days like this that Tifa really loved her job. She always did, but when she connected with patients on a level like this, well frankly it made everything chaotic that was swirling around in her personal life seem to disappear.

Once she was sure her patient was stable, she had her transferred to a recovery room and Tifa herself made her way back to her office. She needed to see Marlene, but first she had to check on the list of patients, hopefully she was done for the day as it was getting fairly late.

Yuffie was waiting for her in the office, pacing back and forth anxiously. She saw Tifa walk in and sighed relieved. "How did it go?"

"Good. Mom and baby are doing really well." Tifa replied, looking at Yuffie curiously while wondering what would come out of her mouth next.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Aerith had told me this story about how their kiss was an accident and suddenly I was the one who was feeling guilty." Yuffie explained. "It's sorted out now, I just had a momentary lapse of judgment, but it's good now."

"So, you're not going to get back together with Cloud?" Tifa quirked a curious brow, looking at Yuffie as if to tell her she had better say the right thing or else she'd be getting another earful.

"No, I really like Vincent, Tifa. He's a wonderful man." Yuffie gushed, smiling at the thought of her tall, dark and handsome man. "So what's up with your dad? Why do we have an interim chief?"

"So Vincent already hired someone? That was pretty fast.." Tifa wondered what was really going on, but who could really say. The chaos had returned. "He's been arrested for stealing drugs from the pharmacy. I don't know what to believe right now."

"What?!" Yuffie exclaimed. Her eyes grew wide with shock, and she suddenly felt pretty stupid for bringing up her small dilemma earlier. "Oh Tifa I'm-"

"Don't worry about it. If he really was stealing and abusing drugs, he deserves to lose his job. But the police asked if I helped supply him with drugs. I never did, I don't ever go to the pharmacy." Tifa said, crossing her arms in exasperation.

"Tifa, they can't get you too. Don't worry." Yuffie assured, rubbing her friend's arm.

"Knock, knock." Vincent's voice came from Tifa's doorway. "May we come in?"

Tifa looked over at her cousin and the mysterious man standing beside him. He seemed eerily familiar, but Tifa couldn't put her finger on it. He was a good looking man, he looked dapper in his attire. He matched Vincent in hight but was a bit more slender. His hair was a blend between Sephiroth's and Cloud's and his eyes were a pastel color she had never seen before. "You must be the new Chief of Medicine." Tifa stated, looking him up and down as if to size him up.

Rufus looked at her with the same expression, and he liked what he saw. "My name is-"

"Can I ask you something? Do you even practice medicine? Because if you don't understand the context of what we are dealing with, how do you expect to be chief." Tifa inquired, looking at him firmly.

"Tifa, don't question my judgment on hiring him." Vincent warned, coolly.

Yuffie couldn't help but wonder if this was going to turn into some family feud. And she also didn't like the way that Mr. Shinra was eyeing Tifa.

"Well you asking that question, Vincent, gives me my answer. You don't know anything about medicine at all, Sir?" Tifa asked.

Rufus was very certain now that he liked this woman. She was obviously not afraid to express her opinions. He certainly enjoyed a challenge as well. Though inwardly he did feel a little guilty for putting her father out of a job. "I'm in pharmaceuticals." He corrected. "And my name is Rufus Shinra, pleasure to meet you Doctor."

"Well, my mistake. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Shinra." Tifa took the man's hand and shook it. "I'm doctor Lockhart."

"I look forward to working with you, Doctor Lockhart." Rufus said with a smile.

"I'm going to go see Marlene." Tifa stepped past Vincent and the new chief, desperate to get away from the awkward situation. Maybe she was crazy, but it felt as though Mr. Shinra was checking her out.

"I'll go with you. I'll see you in a few, Vincent." Yuffie smiled and waved before following after Tifa to the NICU.

Rufus looked after the pair of females curiously. He decided that he would probably enjoy this new position very much. And even though she had already gone from his sight, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

"Don't give me that look, Rufus. She's got a boyfriend." Vincent could see right through Rufus and his smug little smile. Though he wasn't crazy about her choice to date Sephiroth, he was a decent doctor.

"What are you talking about?" Rufus smirked to himself and walked toward the elevator. It was high time he set up his new office.

* * *

"She's getting much stronger, but she still requires oxygen. She still has apnea, so we'll keep her on it for a few more days and see if she can sustain herself." The NICU nurse informed Tifa and Yuffie.

The two looked down at the little girl, both with longing in their eyes. Tifa gently stroked the girl's cheek with her finger. "Has she been totally weened off of the methadone?"

"Almost," the nurse smiled. "Child Protective Services has received your paperwork. They'll be conducting interviews with people close to you to see if you would be a good candidate."

Tifa cringed inwardly, if CPS saw that Tifa's father had been imprisoned for drugs, just like the little girl's biological mother well it didn't look good for Tifa at all. How could her father do something like that?

"You want to hold her?" The words broke Tifa from her worrisome thoughts instantly.

Tifa looked up at the nurse. "Really? I can?" She suddenly felt nervous.

Yuffie squealed softly with excitement for her friend. She hadn't had the chance to hold the baby she hoped to adopt since her birth, it would be a special moment.

Marlene was swaddled in the hospital blanket with teeny little pink foot prints, the wires connected to her feet chest and hand intimidated Tifa even more. The nurses could tell she was nervous.

"Sit down doctor, I'll hand her to you," the NICU nurse instructed. Gently she picked up the baby, careful not to disturb any of her connections.

Tifa sat in the white rocking chair next to her crib, holding her arms out. The nurse delicately placed the infant in Tifa's arm and Tifa cradled her close. Her heart melted, she didn't even notice Yuffie taking pictures.

"Hi Marlene," Tifa smiled at the child and she couldn't describe the amount of love she felt flooding through her. She would have to make sure to do whatever she had to in order to take this baby home with her.

* * *

"This is your house?" Yuffie stared out the window of Vincent's car as the two of them rolled up upon what looked like a playboy mansion. It was absolutely gorgeous. It had a long, cobble stone driveway with a beautiful front deck. There was elaborate landscaping with beautiful flowers and tropical plants.

The kicker was the in ground swimming pool with romantic lighting and poolside furniture. She couldn't wait to see the inside of the house.

"It is," Vincent replied before he got out of the vehicle and went around to the passengers side and opened Yuffie's door. He was glad he happened to be at the hospital the time she was finished with her shift. He was able to pick her up and take her to his place afterward.

Yuffie took his hand and smiled, still thankful that she had decided Vincent was so worth it. Just the touch of his hand gave her butterflies. She walked alongside him, feeling giddy and excited that she and Vincent would be able to see his home and spend the evening with him.

"Oh. My. God!" Yuffie was breathless, the home was immaculate. His living room was adorned with black real-leather couches, expensive side tables and a gorgeous marble coffee table. His entertainment center was the focal point, and it was huge! It was perfect for watching movies and snuggling up on the couch together.

The kitchen was spacious and clean, with a sizable island in the middle. A full wine cabinet offsetting it in the corner. The countertops were also marble, dark black with gold flecks within it.

"Vincent, your home is so gorgeous!" Yuffie said excitedly.

"So are you, Yuffie." Vincent chuckled at how ridiculous he sounded, however he did mean it. He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, taking in how beautiful she was.

"Thank you, Vincent." She said blushing a bit. She put her hands on his chest, looking up at him longingly. Before she knew it, the two were swept up in a passionate kiss. And once again, Yuffie couldn't believe she had second guessed herself, even for a moment.

* * *

Tifa was hoping she could spend the evening with Sephiroth, but it turned out that he was on call for the night, so Tifa would have to take a rain check. But she was still riding the high she got from holding the baby she would hopefully be taking home once she recovered.

She was heading out of the hospital when she walked past her father's office. She had to stop, and look inside. She still couldn't believe it. How could she not have seen it.

"Can I help you, Doctor Lockhart?"

Tifa was shaken from her thoughts by Mr. Shinra's voice. She looked up and shook her head "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

"Look, I know you're worried that this issue with your father is going to blow back on you and your reputation, but I assure you, Vincent and I are going to do everything in our power to keep that from happening. Don't worry." He said kindly.

Tifa looked at him surprised, she didn't expect him to display such kindness, he didn't even know her. "Sir, thank you so much." Tifa said graciously. "That really means a lot to me."

"Absolutely. I'm going to make sure all my doctors are taken care of. That being said, I have been required by the hospital board to drug test all of the hospital staff." He informed her as he stood from his desk and walked around it. He made his way to the doorway and stood face to face with the beautiful physician.

"Well I assure you that won't be a problem." Tifa said, suddenly feeling not so thankful for him. It felt like he was accusing her. "I don't have anything to hide."

"Good. I didn't think so, Doctor." He stated, offering her a smile.

"Have a good evening, Mr. Shinra." Tifa said before walking away from his office.

Rufus once again found himself looking after her, searching his brain for any way that he could capture her attention. He would somehow find a way. That was his determination.


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, I know a million 'I'm sorry's' are not enough to make up for my absence, I'm sorry! Life gets busy when you are raising a little one, working on school and stuff! Anyway, here it is.

KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME CHARACTERS ARW OUT OF CHARACTER. this does not follow the original story line don't get mad! You knew that when you started reading, so I don't wanna hear it ;) I love you guys! Please review! Xoxox

-B

* * *

Yuffie's dark-colored eyes scrunched up more tightly as the morning sunlight crept through the small opening of Vincent's charcoal colored curtains. She let out a small moan before reluctantly stretching as if to prepare to leave the comfort of the plush King-sized bed she had slept on for the past three nights in a row.

She turned from her back to her side, reaching for her companion, only to meet the disappointing feeling of empty sheets. After frowning to herself, she sat up in the bed and covered her bare chest before examining the room around her. The night before, the two of them had discussed that neither of them had plans for the day, so where was Vincent now? Yuffie figured he was probably in the shower, or perhaps in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Both of which she would be well pleased.

The petite young woman slipped out of bed and got herself dressed in his maroon dress shirt he had worn on their date the night before, finagling it into a rather tasteful sleeveless dress. After looking herself over in the large and ornamental mirror that hung above his dresser to make sure she didn't look too scary, she made her way downstairs.

It was as though the timing were perfect, Vincent was just walking in the front door as she reached the last step. When they spotted one another, their eyes met and both wore a smile that could be categorized as love-struck.

And perhaps, at this stage in their relationship they were beginning to develop those feelings that would soon blossom into something more than puppy love.

"Hey, where did you run off to?" Yuffie inquired, hoping she didn't sound as though she were demanding an explanation for his absence. But in a way, she kind of was.

"I had an interview with Child Protective Services. They want to know if Tifa would be a fit mother for the little girl in the NICU." Vincent removed his jacket and hung it up on the coat rack by the door before making his way to Yuffie at the base of the stair well.

"You did tell them that she would be a great mother, right?" Yuffie raised a curious brow and met him in the middle, between the kitchen and the living area. She delicately placed her hands on his chest, and gazed sternly into his eyes. The actions contradicting one another.

"I was honest with them." Vincent explained vaguely as his hands found their way atop hers before he leaned down to kiss her.

"And what does that mean?" Yuffie pulled back for a moment, she wanted to be sure Vincent was helping Tifa's case, not hurting it. Yuffie had become a little suspicious of Vincent's behavior and involvement with the hospital. It felt as though he was a little too involved in what happened to Tifa's father. Especially since he had briefly mentioned to Yuffie that Nagano would not be in his position for long, right before he happened to be removed from his position. She needed to know who's side he was on.

"It means I told them that Tifa has always been the type of person to nurture and care for others. Why are you questioning me? Tifa is my family, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her happiness." Vincent said as he looked down at Yuffie with a half-bewildered half-angry expression. He knew Tifa was important to her, but he also felt as though she should know that Tifa was just as important to him.

"I just want Tifa to be happy, you know that." Yuffie defended, taking a step back. She didn't feel as though now was the time to question him about his involvement with taking Nagano down, in fact it may never be the time. Instead, she wanted to forget the whole thing and enjoy her day with him. "I'm sorry, I just know how much Tifa wants that baby."

"It's okay." Vincent said, cooly. He could understand where Yuffie was coming from. "Why don't we have some breakfast? I'm sure you're hungry."'

Yuffie nodded in agreement, before stopping and twirling and looking at Vincent. "You didn't mention how good I looked." She noted.

"Oh forgive me Yuffie." Vincent added with a chuckle, "you look stunning." He smiled before examining her attire once more. "Wait, how did you do that? Have you cut my shirt?" He frowned and walked over to her and turned her about.

"No! Silly, the sleeves become a belt to hold the dress in place. It's really easy. I didn't ruin your shirt, I promise." Yuffie giggled at his concern for his clothing. He was quite the silly man.

Vincent sighed in relief and made his way to the kitchen with Yuffie by his side. He would be happy to admit that he enjoyed every moment he spent with her. Despite how very different they both were. He supposed that was what made them attracted to one another.

"So did the interview go well? Did they seem to indicate that Tifa would be getting the baby?" Yuffie inquired, hoping Vincent wouldn't become irritated with the subject being brought up once more.

"They are investigating Tifa thoroughly. Especially because of her father. Currently, it sounds like they will foster the child out, since she will be ready to be released within the next week. Tifa has to go through piles of paperwork and the process is quite lengthy." Vincent began explaining to Yuffie while simultaneously preparing a meal for the two of them.

Yuffie sighed inwardly. She was frustrated that the process was so difficult, and hoped somehow there was some way it would go smoothly and perhaps even more quickly.

* * *

Tifa couldn't help but overhear the commotion that was taking place in her father's former office as she walked past it on her way into work. She stopped a few feet away from the door out of curiosity, wondering just what was going on. She hadn't caught a glimpse of who was yelling at Mr. Shinra, but she recognized Doctor Hewely's voice.

"You have no reason to be here, you don't know a thing about medicine! So who are you to make the call that my patient doesn't need this surgery!?" His angry voice boomed into the hallway, and Tifa could only imagine what his face was saying.

"Doctor Hewely, I'm actually an M.D. myself. Your patient is over sixty years old, the risk of him dying on the table, is greater than the risk of not having the procedure in the first place." Mr. Shinra's voice remained confident and strong, while maintaining its dominance in the conversation.

Meanwhile, Tifa stood in shock at the news that Mr. Shinra was a doctor. She thought he was an entrepreneur, and also taking over for his father's pharmaceutical business. Perhaps he was only saying that to get Doctor Hewely to calm down.

The hardest part of being Chief of Medicine, would have to be saying no to Doctors, and weighing the good with the bad. Budgeting, and patient care mixed together could result in multiple angry doctors and sometimes patients didn't make it. But a lot of times, doctors were typically overzealous and it was the Chief's job to talk them down.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Doctor Hewely's voice sounded even more agitated, and soon Tifa saw him storming off, walking past her directly. "Were you entertained by that, Tifa?!" He hissed before walking to the elevator in a huff.

Tifa cringed, she shouldn't have been listening in. And now, Doctor Hewely had made her presence known to Mr. Shinra. Whom had promptly stuck his head out from the doorway to see the embarrassed obstetrician standing there with a perplexed look upon her face.

"Sorry you had to hear that." He offered her a small smile as he walked out of the office.

Tifa stood up straight and offered him a sympathetic gaze. "I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have been listening in."

"It's alright, Doctor." Rufus couldn't be angered, her beauty distracted him from any trace of fowl emotions toward the woman. She was absolutely breath taking.

"I had no idea you were a doctor." Tifa decided since he already knew she was listening in, she might as well get some answer. "What did you specialize in?"

"Pediatrics." Rufus was quick to answer. "I had my own private practice, before my father demanded that I take over the family business. I found myself struggling to be good enough for him. Not even being a doctor was sufficient. But I'm saying too much now." His lavender eyes locked with hers in a charismatic gaze.

"Pediatrics? That's impressive. I suppose you learn something new everyday." Tifa shifted a little when he looked deep into her eyes, as if he knew her well. So she averted her gaze.

"Morning beautiful." Came the familiar and lulling voice of her significant other as he approached the two. She felt the comfort of his arm wrap around her as Sephiroth came and stood beside her.

They had been together for a few weeks now and were beginning to feel more comfortable with one another, not to mention more fond of one another. Tifa felt as though he had come to her rescue at this moment.

"Good morning," Tifa giggled nervously and did her best to hide the tinge of pink creeping up on her cheeks. "Have a good day Mr. Shinra." Tifa gave him a brief nod accompanied with a smile before walking toward the elevators next to her surgeon.

Rufus watched the two of them walk away happily, inwardly filled with disgust. Why was he welling up with jealousy? He barely knew the girl, yet he found himself longing for her.

"Mr. Shinra, your coffee." Came the voice of his assistant, Tseng. "You seem a little unfocused."

Rufus finally snapped out of it as the pair disappeared into the elevator and turned his attention to the dark haired man beside him. "I have a new project for you, Tseng." Rufus said with some type of new found determination.

"Yes sir. And what might that be?" Tseng asked curiously.

"Find out what you can about Doctor Tifa Lockhart." He stated firmly. "And do it discreetly."

* * *

"Don't be a stick in the mud!" Yuffie whined, tugging on the arm of a rather uninterested Vincent Valentine.

"I don't want to go near those... things." Vincent crinkled his nose at the thought of feeding half-domesticated hungry little ducklings at the local park. The whole area was covered in their feathers, small children and duck feces. It was certainly the last place he wanted to be. Somewhere dark, quiet and peaceful would have been a lot more up his alley. However, he cared for Yuffie and she felt as though feeding the park ducks would be 'romantic', so he reluctantly obliged.

"Come on, ya big baby! They don't bite!" Yuffie released his arm and reached into her plastic bag full of stale bread they have procured from the bakery and walked toward the water.

As if the creatures knew that she had what they were after, a swarm of ducklings big and small followed her and circled around her.

Vincent watched at a distance as the girl who was slowly capturing his heart smiled happily and threw the crumbs to the hungry little creatures.

The sunlight seemed to make her more enticing, shining on the skin of her bare legs the weather was beginning to warm up, springtime was in the air and Yuffie had dressed accordingly. She wore a short dark blue skirt with large white hibiscus flowers throughout, and a white v-neck t-shirt that fit her curves tightly. She looked happy. A lot happier than Vincent.

But as he watched, he couldn't help but smile, even though he was surrounded by noise, and several things that annoyed him. She made him happy, and so because of that, he decided to join her.

"Here," Yuffie handed him a fistful of bread and urged him to feed the birds. "They won't bite." Yuffie giggled and paused for a moment. "They might, just don't piss them off."

For a moment, Vincent appeared to be nervous. "What?"

"Just feed them, they know you have the food and they are getting agitated!" The ducks began to Yelp and flap their wings in hunger, obviously growing more and more frustrated. Yuffie nudged him and quickly Vincent hurled the bread away from them before taking Yuffie's hand and pulled her away from the creatures.

"Well that's enough of that." Vincent dusted his hands off and sighed in relief. Thankful to be away from the irritating little animals. But the excitement wasn't over, because a line of hungry ducks began to run toward the pair, angry that they were holding out on them.

"Vincent, run!" Yuffie exclaimed with a squeal before taking off toward his vehicle in the parking lot.

Vincent's eyes widened as he looked upon the angry mob of birds hurling themselves toward him. Fumbling for his keys, he began to run after Yuffie while mumbling profanities under his breath. This would be the last time Yuffie got to choose the day's activities.

"Unlock the car!" Yuffie frantically yanked at the handle of his car, kicking her long legs at the creatures to keep them from nipping at her ankles.

"I'm trying!" Vincent finally dug his keys from his pants pocket and unlocked the car, prompting Yuffie to fling herself inside and close the door behind her.

Vincent was quick to do the same. They both sat in silence as relief flooded over them, and suddenly the two of them couldn't help but chuckle at the whole situation.

"Who knew ducks were so aggressive." Vincent said, finally speaking.

"Well, I guess I knew. I just didn't think that they would try and attack us." Yuffie admitted.

"Well if we ever have children one day, we won't bring them here." Vincent said sternly.

Yuffie looked at Vincent and suddenly her heart began to beat a little faster. "You want kids one day?" She supposed she was surprised because she didn't peg Vincent to be the type to want kids. Especially since he seemed to be annoyed by all the children around the park and their playing.

"I'd like to think so." Vincent answered briefly. "Not right now, of course."

"Right," Yuffie smiled and gave him a nod. She felt like it was good to know that he did want them eventually though. Those type of things are important to know early on in a relationship so that there are no surprises later on. "Vincent." She said quietly.

"Yes, Yuffie?" Vincent replied as he looked over at the girl next to him.

"I really enjoy spending time with you." Yuffie admitted as she took his hand softly.

Vincent offered her a kind smile. "I have to admit, even though I hate the park, I enjoyed being with you." He said with a chuckle before leaning over and kissing the girl on the cheek. "Let's go, Tifa has invited us to dinner. We had better get ready."

* * *

Tifa parked her car quickly and flung herself out of her car. She had been running late at work. There had been a last minute emergency delivery, and Zack had been preoccupied with another patient.

She had invited Vincent and Yuffie to join her and Sephiroth for dinner this evening, and she hadn't even begun to cook.

The day has been long and drawn out, one of those days when the challenges were high and the help was limited. She had very few moments of peace and quiet, and she found herself wishing that she could enjoy the familiar playful banter that she shared with Zack.

And in her busiest moment, when she felt as though her workload would be her demise, she was visited by the interim chief who gave her some interesting news.

" _Doctor Lockhart, do you have a moment?" The man had met her in the hallway as she was on her way to drop off some paperwork to the nurses station._

 _"I'm so sorry, I'm just in the middle of something. Can I talk to you later?" Tifa gave him a sympathetic look, but she genuinely did not have the time to talk. There was a woman in the next room just waiting to give birth. It's never wise to keep a pregnant woman waiting to give birth waiting._

 _"Look, I'll make it quick." Rufus placed his hand on her shoulder and looked her firmly in the eye. "I know you and Doctor Fair are overworked, so I've hired a new OB Doctor to begin next week. It'll help take the load off, especially if you plan to adopt that little girl in the NICU."_

 _Tifa had stopped in her tracks. She didn't know how many times she had thought to herself that she and Zack needed some help. Aside from that, she wondered how Mr. Shinra had found out about Marlene. But again, Tifa really didn't have time to ask. She would have to ask him later about that._

 _"Thank you, sir. We could really use the extra help around here, and I'm sure Zack will feel the same." Tifa offered a kind expression and a small smile. "I've got to go now, but I thank you again!"_

"I had no idea you could drive like that. I'm fairly certain you ran several red lights." Sephiroth's voice broke Tifa away from her recollection of the days earlier events.

She smiled to herself as she continued to prepare the evening's meal. She knew her other guests would be arriving shortly and now that Sephiroth had joined her, she could put him to work.

Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him her first order. "Good. Now that you're here, can you set the table please?" Tifa then continued to chop the ends off of the asparagus she was about to sauté in a pan of warm and melted butter.

"I don't even get a 'hello?'" Sephiroth teased and began to do as he was told. He could tell Tifa was a little stressed and overworked, but he admired her for holding herself up despite it all.

"Fine, hello." Tifa giggled and offered him a brisk kiss on the cheek before returning to the stove top.

Sephiroth smiled to himself and placed the silverware thoughtfully on the table. At that moment, Yuffie walked into the house with Vincent in tow.

"The party has arrived!" Yuffie exclaimed as she held a bottle of white wine in the air as though proclaiming some type of victory.

"Hey guys, come in, won't you come in?" Tifa said sarcastically.

"Well, I figured you would be happy to see us." Yuffie frowned and nudged against her friend before flashing the bottle of wine knowing Tifa would be happy to see it.

"Of course I am. I'm kidding you two. How was your day?" Tifa took a glance at the chicken she had recently placed in the oven and then back at her friend.

"Oh it was good. We went to the park to feed the ducks." Yuffie giggled and looked back at Vincent and Sephiroth who seemed to be chatting quaintly.

"You convinced Vincent to spend time with young children? He must really like you, Yuffie." Tifa stated, placing a hand on her hip.

Yuffie blushed and accompanied it with a smile. "You think so?" She couldn't help but feel flattered by the thought.

"Of course. I think you two make a great pair." Tifa offered. "Mm that looks yummy!" Tifa took the bottle of wine from her friend and poured glasses for the four of them.

"You just get off work? You're still in your scrubs." Yuffie pointed out.

"Yes, I did. It was a busy day. But Mr. Shinra did mention that he has hired a new obstetrician to start next week." By this time, Tifa was sipping her wine, as was Yuffie.

"A new obstetrician? You're okay with a new Doctor up in you and Zack's space?" Yuffie inquired.

Upon hearing Zack's name, both Vincent and Sephiroth discontinued their conversation and turned their attention to the ladies in the kitchen.

Vincent had been made aware of Tifa's fling with Fair because Yuffie had issues keeping some things a secret. Sephiroth, however was not.

"Of course. We really need the help. You know that first hand, Yuffie." Tifa said before taking the asparagus off the stove.

"I guess you're right, hopefully he's a good doctor." Yuffie said without s thought.

"Who says it's a man? Maybe it's another woman." Tifa defended. "Female OB/GYNs are a more common than men." Tifa kept her tone light and kind, as if to notify Yuffie that she wasn't angry with her. But Tifa took pride in her position as a female doctor, as she was one of he only ones in that hospital.

"Oh, you're right I'm sorry." Yuffie smiled sheepishly.

"Anyway, let's eat." Tifa smiled and began to serve the food.

•

Rufus sat at his desk staring blankly at the man across from him as he searches his brain for ways that he could get closer with the doctor he had strangely grown fond of. The information that Tseng had presented was that Tifa was up to her neck in paperwork for the adoption of the child in the NICU, and that she was still under investigation because of her father's drug abuse.

It made Rufus furious, he knew for a fact that Tifa was not involved in Nagano's downfall. But, because of his prominent status as a business man in Midgar, he knew that there were a few things he could do to help her. But he would have to do it quickly, because the child was about to be released from the hospital. That would mean she would be sent to a foster home.

"Sir." Came an airy-yet masculine voice from the doorway.

Lavender eyes shifted from a deadened gaze in Tseng's direction to the tall, doctor standing before him. His coppery-toned locks hung tastefully around his face with and edgy undertone, and his blue eyes seemed to pierce right through Rufus'. "Doctor Raphsodos." Rufus said, standing to his feet. "Welcome to Midgar Regional Medical Center." Rufus circled his desk and crossed over to the doorway where the newest doctor to the hospital stood confidently.

"Thank you, Mr. Shinra. It's a pleasure to join the staff." The man stated as he extended his hand to Rufus. This was not his first encounter with Rufus, or the Shinra family. Genesis worked for the pharmaceutical company briefly during med school. And rumor has it, three of his fellow med school alum were working here.

"Well it is a pleasure to have you." Rufus shook the man's hand and offered a slight smile. "Allow me to show you where you'll be working. I'll introduce you to your colleagues."

"Thank you." Genesis offered before glancing at the man still seated across from Mr. Shinra's desk.

"Tseng, contact CPS for me. Let's see if we can't get that application expedited." Rufus rattled off the order before stepping past Genesis and walking down the hallway toward the elevators.

Genesis glanced once more at Tseng before following the blonde down the hallway, careful to pay attention to the details of the facility.

It seemed nice enough. Fairly well kept and very clean. It certainly was one of the nicer hospitals he had seen. Of course he typically worked in low-income neighborhoods, helping young mothers who didn't have a lot of financial support. Which meant that he dealt with poor conditions. This would be a breath of fresh air.

They stood in the elevator in silence, the only thing to be heard was faint instrumental music and the ding the machinery made when they reached their destination.

The maternity ward seemed to be rather busy. It was no wonder Mr. Shinra hired him so rapidly. He watched as several nurses bustled about between the rooms of expectant mothers, and new mothers. While others were tending to the babies in the NICU.

It was at that moment when a specific woman caught his eye. Her presence was so commanding, and she carried herself so prominently. She was a petite little thing with a fiery attitude, bossing her fellow nurses around .

"Attention everyone." Mr. Shinra announced suddenly, prompting everyone around to stop in their tracks. The air grew tense and thick, everyone itching to know what the new man in charge had to say to them. "I'd like you all to meet Doctor Raphsodos. He's the newest addition to Midgar Regional. He specializes in obstetrics."

Many of the nurses in the unit smiled amongst themselves at the fact that a second dreamy doctor would be joining their company.

"No way." It was at that moment that Zack fair exited his office to notice a familiar face standing there near the nurses station with Mr. Shinra.

"Well, if it isn't the little puppy." A small smirk crept it's way upon Genesis' face, happy to see an old companion.

Yuffie watched the reunion unfold, careful to assess every detail about the foreign man. He carried a confidence that was far from silent. His presence was powerful, but poetic in nature. He was elegant, but strong, and his eyes seemed kind yet mysterious. She couldn't help but think to herself that this hospital was filling up with devilishly handsome men.

"It's nice to see you, Genesis." Zack was a little hesitant, he hadn't seen Genesis for some time, and their last meeting was less than friendly. However, he was willing to put their past behind them, and welcome him to the team. He knew that he and Tifa could use it. "Welcome aboard." Firmly, Zack shook his hand and looked him sternly in the eye with a friendly smile on his face.

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here, I am truly elated." Genesis' lips parted in a half-smile before turning to see Mr. Shinra looking around for seemingly someone specific.

"Doctor Fair, have you seen Doctor Lockhart?" Rufus was eager just to see her again, but he also needed to introduce her to the new member of the OB unit.

"Oh, Tifa's in surgery." Zack said casually. "But her nurse Yuffie is here." The man looked over his shoulder and hollered at the girl. "Yuff! Get over here."

Rufus found himself agitated at the fact that Doctor Fair seemed so comfortable with Doctor Lockhart, calling her by her first name without a second thought. Of course he knew he shouldn't be too jealous, since it was Doctor Sephiroth he should be worried about.

"I noticed you immediately." Genesis stated before extending his hand in a gentlemanly manor to Yuffie.

Yuffie was a little hesitant, considering she felt as though he was hitting on her in some weird way, but she took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you. I uh.." She paused. "I've gotta get back to work, you understand." Glancing at Zack with an inquisitive expression, Yuffie slipped away to continue her work.

"Well, show him around, would you Doctor Fair? And do me a favor, introduce him to Doctor Lockhart when she is through with surgery." Turning to Genesis, Rufus spoke again. "Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. I'll be in my office." With that, Rufus took his leave, leaving Genesis and Zack standing in the middle of the maternity ward in a sort of awkward silence.

"Well, we do have an empty office for you." Zack lead the newest addition down the hall, past Tifa's office and his own, to the office at the end of the hall. The door was unlocked, so he opened it up and revealed a dusty, unused and abandon office space. "Looks like it could use a little sprucing up. Other than that, I think it's bigger than my office. So you'll have that going for you."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Genesis gave Zack a small nod. He found himself wondering if he would fit in with the staff of the hospital. He hadn't met Doctor Lockhart, but he had heard about her from others.

"You can utilize the nurses around, a permanent nurse will be assigned to you most likely tomorrow. But you can't take Yuffie, Tifa will probably try and rip your head off or something like it." Zack was half-kidding. Tifa was stingy with Yuffie, probably because she was the best nurse in the unit.

"Duly noted, thank you."

"What's all the commotion about?" Came Said doctor's voice from behind the two.

Both men turned and greeted Tifa, one with a friendly smile, the other with a look of bewilderment.

"You must be doctor Raphsodos. I'm Doctor Lockhart, but you can call me Tifa. I'm so happy that we have some more help now. I've already given you a few of my patients before you go and snatch them from me like doctor handsome pants here." Tifa giggled softly and teasingly punched Zack's arm.

While Genesis watched the banter unfold, he found himself wondering if they were an item. The way they looked at each other, seemed to tell him the story.

"That's Tifa for you."Zack rubbed his arm playfully and shook his dark head. "I've also given you a few of my patients so you're going to be booked up for your first official day tomorrow."

"Thank you. Both of you, I already feel so welcome." Genesis stated kindly.

"Tifa, someone's here to see you!" Called a nurse from the nurses station.

The three obstetricians turned their attention to the nurses station.

Genesis knew the moment when he and Sephiroth would meet, he hadn't expected it to be his first day on the job considering that Sephiroth was an orthopedic surgeon, and Genesis delivered babies.

"Well you know Sephiroth. He's dating Tifa." Zack promptly informed Genesis before patting him on the shoulder and resumed his work around the unit.

Now Genesis was even more confused, clearly he had pegged Zack's relationship with Tifa all wrong. He watched as Tifa hurriedly walked down the hall to meet the man in the green surgical scrubs.

"Hello handsome," Tifa wrapped her arms around Sephiroth's torso and pressed her head against his chest. It was nice to see him on such a busy and chaotic day. She happened to love the moments when he took his time to see her, when he had his own business to attend to.

"How's your..." Sephiroth paused in his tracks when he saw Genesis standing there at the end of the hall. He was about to ask Tifa about her day, but he couldn't even finish the sentence. "What is he doing here?" He inquired, pulling away from the embrace he and Tifa shared.

"Who, Doctor Raphsodos? He's the new obstetrician." Tifa looked at Sephiroth curiously, unsure why suddenly he was on edge.

"Good to see you again, Sephiroth." Genesis offered was he approached the pair. "It'll be a pleasure working together."

"I fail to see the validity of your statement there. Working together with you would be less than pleasurable. And do yourself a favor, stay away from Tifa." Sephiroth threatened, unashamedly.

Suddenly, Tifa was overwhelmed with confusion. She looked between them, wondering what in the world was going on.

"If you had any inclination that I was the one with eyes for Doctor Lockhart, you're tragically mistaken. Though she is pretty, I don't find her to be my type. It's not me you should be worried about." With that, Genesis smirked and made his way back to his new office. He had his work cut out for him.


	15. Chapter 15

Hi readers. I'm very sorry for the extreme delay. Motherhood and schooling have been a priority. Sorry it's short! I will try to update soon! Thank you in advance for your reviews!

-B

* * *

Tifa sat completely still in the hard wooden chair as she stared across the table at the pair of CPS agents while they scrutinized her every move. She found it hard to even breathe, let alone speak to answer their abrasive questions. For a moment, as they sat in silence, Tifa felt as though the ticking of the clock on the wall would drive her insane.

The man across from her straightened his black tie as his eyes glanced over the information about Tifa in the file on the table. Meanwhile, the woman tried to give Tifa a reassuring smile as the man conjured up his next statement.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here so quickly. As you know, Marlene Wallace is ready to be released from the hospital as we speak. She's in perfect health, thanks to your facility." His voice trailed off for a moment, and Tifa had a difficult time concentrating on what he was saying.

Her adoption agent was no where to be seen, and she felt as though it was a purposeful move on CPS' account. "Any allegations against you and your involvement with your father, Nagano Lockhart have been completely dropped."

Much to Tifa's surprise, it was beginning to sound like things were looking up. She found herself wondering how on earth the investigation had suddenly come to such a halt, as the police seemed to be dead set on Tifa's involvement with her father's drug problem. It didn't seem like it was just coincidence. Just as the speediness of their interview with her could not just be coincidence. Tifa thought she had a long way to go before this day would come. But Tifa also didn't want to look too surprised, as it may make her seem guilty and or desperate. "Good." She said, with confidence.

"And all of our interviews with close friends, family and coworkers went very well. Seems as though no one had anything negative to say about you. Not even a single patient." The man ran one of his hands through his already disheveled salt and pepper colored hair. "However."

 _Oh no_. Suddenly, Tifa felt a lump in her throat, and her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. Nervously, she clasped her clammy hands together in her lap as she looked upon the man with an unchanging expression.

"We found the child's father." The man said just as he closed Tifa's file. It was as if he were saying she didn't have a shot in the dark. "He has recently passed. But before he passed, he received news of his daughter and called an adoption agent of his own. He signed over custody to one of his family friends."

Tifa's eyes welled up with tears and she stood to her feet, placing her hands on the table. "Why wasn't I notified about this when it happened? I've spent all my time preparing for this baby to come home with me. I've spent thousands of dollars on baby furniture, clothing and formula. I'm completely prepared for this."

"Miss Lockhart." The woman said in a calm, soft tone as she too, stood to her feet. She gently placed a hand atop Tifa's and gave her another reassuring look. "We have spoken to Mr. Wallace. He would like to meet with you."

* * *

Yuffie had spent the better part of her shift avoiding a certain crimson haired obstetrician, doing her best to avoid eye contact with him throughout the day. Something about doctor Raphsodos both intrigued her and frightened her, and she could tell that he was more than interested in her. When she sat at the nurses station finishing up with a patient's chart she could practically feel his eyes on her like laser beams shooting through her and out the base of her skull. Granted, the unwanted attention made her feel a mixture of positive and negative emotions that she quite simply didn't even want to explore.

Things between herself and Vincent, the chairmen of the board, were going well. She still had strange suspicions about his unusual hatred of Tifa's father and his sudden downfall. She was silently investigating that on her own. She had yet to let Tifa know about Vincent's potential involvement but she would have to wait until she had more information on that. Either way, if he was or was not involved, it did not bother Yuffie much. That wasn't really her business but she was nosy as can be, so she did want to know. Her curiosity always had a way of taking the lead in her life.

Although Yuffie tried to avoid him throughout the day, when the end of her shift rolled around, she found herself unable to any longer.

"Nurse Kisarsgi." The baritone silky voice called out to her.

Yuffie turned and heaved a silent sigh before putting on her chipper 'can-do' smile that could stop anyone, man or woman, in their tracks. "Yes, doctor Raphsodos."

"I am aware," Genesis began as he neatly folded his white lab coat over the top of his left arm and gazed at Yuffie with an inquisitive and mysterious expression, "that you work for Doctor Lockhart almost exclusively."

"Tifa does not like to share." Yuffie stated simply. She could tell where this conversation was headed just by the tone in his voice.

"That being said," he responded quickly. "I would like your assistance tomorrow. There's going to be a high risk pregnancy birth tomorrow, and I could use Midgar's best nurse at my side. It's just this once." His smile was undeniably charming.

Yuffie seemed to have lost her immunity to such charm as soon as he grinned at her. She rolled her eyes not letting her strange mixture of emotions betray her and she nodded. "Okay, but just this once. You'll have to take up any other times with Tifa herself." And with that, Yuffie was gone and out of the building. Left with her own confused thoughts about the entire situation. She found herself questioning why Genesis wanted her so desperately on his team, and wondering if it was more than just her skills as a nurse that he was after.

* * *

Tifa watched as a gargantuan man with rippled muscles that adorned tattoos and battle scars, black course hair shaved into a Mohawk and a grimace expression hidden behind a weeks worth of stubble walk into the room with her and the CPS agents. Following him was a timid adaption agent with a soft spoken voice that could barely be heard over the sound of this very large man.

She watched him size her up with his beady brown eyes and huff. She did not know if it was in approval or disapproval.

"Doctor Lockhart," stated the female CPS agent. "This is Mr. Wallace. Marlene's adoptive father."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Tifa said with as much warmth as she could muster, despite this being the man that took her hopes and dreams away in one fell swoop.

"Same." His voice rasped out and Tifa noticed the single tooth pick sitting at the corner of his mouth as his teeth chomped away at it. A nervous habit perhaps.

"Mr. Wallace has agreed to discuss terms of an open adoption. This means you will gain primary custody of Marlene and he will be permitted visits and certain holidays with her." The adoption agent stated softly as she stood beside her client.

Tifa pondered this for a moment. She didn't know this man, let alone if he was a good one. But she could not let this chance slip her by. She knew that this was a window of opportunity that would be closing soon and she had to act fast. She resolved that if he was a bad man, she would do what it took to protect Marlene from him, but something about his eyes settled any doubts that Tifa may have within her.

"I don't know you," she said firmly. "But if your friend was willing to trust you with his daughter, then I am going to have to do the same. I'm sure it's hard for you to trust a stranger as well."

The burly man looked at her once more, scrutinizing her every detail. "I read all about ya, and if you ain't a good mom for little Marlene you can bet your ass I'll be taking her." He grumbled. "That bein' said," he paused. "I think you'll be a fit mom for her. My job's got me all over the place, my home would be anything but stable for her. I'm countin' on ya."

Tifa couldn't believe her ears. Here she was standing before a perfect, and intimidating, stranger and he was trusting her completely with the child he was given custody of. Surly she could do the same, and perhaps he would even become a friend in he process.

* * *

Yuffie knocked on Vincent's door with a sense of urgency that wasn't normally present. She walked inside when she heard he distanced sound of his voice calling from within letting her know to come in.

The raven haired man was preoccupied with a book seated in his arm chair, thin and smart dark-rimmed glasses sat poised on the bridge of his perfect nose and crimson eyes traveled up from the words on the pages to the exasperated nurse before him. Closing his book with a light thud, he looked to her concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Do you know anything about a doctor named Genesis Raphsodos?" Yuffie inquired as she took a seat on the arm of his chair, and immediately took comfort in the feeling of his strong left arm slinking around her waist. She decided to take advantage of Vincent's power as the chairman and extract any information that she could about the mysterious doctor that seemed to endlessly pursue her attention.

"Why do you ask?" Vincent asked as he removed his glasses from his face and placed them thoughtfully on the side table to his right. He could tell just by Yuffie's body posture that something was off.

"Well he just started working with us and he just seems a bit persistent. He kept watching me, scrutinizing me and att he end of the day he asked me to assist on a birth tomorrow." Yuffie did her best to explain without sounding to frazzled or upset. She was still unsure about how Genesis really made her feel, besides uncomfortable.

"It just sounds like he has a crush." Vincent wasn't ever the jealous type, however this was Genesis that Yuffie was talking about. Vincent knew about him, and his womanizing history. He was known for being promiscuous and onto the next woman before the first could ever really be considered serious. That being said, he was incredibly charming. To say Vincent might be threatened was a stretch, but he would still need to be cautious.

"A crush on me?" Yuffie looked at her beau with a curious expression, her body now resting comfortably on his lap.

"He likes you. And it's easy to see why." Vincent gave a soft smile as he gently stroked Yuffie's cheek. "Just make it clear to him that you're not interested. Unless perhaps you are?"

"No!" Yuffie defended quickly while playfully pressing her hands on his chest. "Vincent, I'm happy with you. Don't doubt that."

Vincent chuckled heartily. "I do love it when you get upset." Vincent said before claiming her lips with his own.

* * *

Tifa walked to her car in shock after the days events. The realization that she would be a mother had finally set in. She settled into the leather seat of her car and put both hands on the wheel for a moment. Marlene would be home with her tomorrow, and Barret Wallace would visit every other weekend until they felt comfortable with each other and he would then take her on the weeks he had off.

 _It's really happening_. She pondered to herself silently, her crimson eyes welled up with tears of joy and suddenly she felt like her life had finally come together. The pain that she experienced in the past, her lost pregnancy and broken heart began to wash away. Motherhood was not impossible anymore.

Tifa was suddenly jostled from her thoughts by the ringing of her cellphone in her purse. "Oh, where is it.." she mumbled to herself before she dug through the contents of her purse noting all the items that probably shouldn't be in there and weren't deemed as necessary at the moment.

"Hello?" She answered briskly, seconds before missing the call.

"How did it go?" Sephiroth's voice came from the other end. His tone sounded somewhere in between genuine concern and tiredness. Tifa could hear the business of the hospital ambiance in the background and she knew he must've just gotten out of surgery.

"Oh Sephiroth, it went so well!" Tifa gushed happily, her smile was evident even in her voice. "I don't know how, but everything is finalized. The investigation was dropped and the paperwork was almost all completed."

"Tifa that's-"

"I bring her home tomorrow!"

Sephiroth smiled to himself and fell silent. He was glad for Tifa, truly. Inwardly he found himself curious as to how the process which is normally extensive, lengthy and very difficult had happened so quickly. Another part of him was slightly concerned because he knew their relationship would not dare be the same.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi! Here's the next chapter. I'd really enjoy hearing from you all!

-B

* * *

The emotions that she experienced within the first months of having Marlene home were erratic and monumental. Tifa had been filled with joy, terror, sorrow, stress, helplessness, and once more-joy. She had finally gotten the swing of things. Marlene was now three months old. It was going by fast to say the least. During the days Tifa worked Marlene was looked after by a nanny she had hired named Cissnei.

Cissnei was a sweet and reserved young woman with extensive experience and great references. Tifa spent a lot of time finding the perfect person to watch after Marlene and so far, Cissnei was doing a fabulous job. It helped that Marlene was shaping out to be a very good baby.

"Have a nice day at work, Miss Lockhart." Cissnei bid Tifa and smiled warmly as she cradled the happy child in her arms.

Tifa kissed Marlene's forehead softly. "Thank you Cissnei, have a good day and don't hesitate to call me if you need." And with that Tifa was off to work like normal, though a part of her ached to leave Marlene. The bond between herself and Marlene was undeniable. And Tifa found herself bonded with Barret as well, who would take Marlene every two weeks for a period of four days. Which proved to be much needed time for Tifa to recover, and work overnight shifts as well. It also gave her much needed alone time with Sephiroth.

She reflected upon these things on her drive to work, smiling to herself. Life was good. She was quite thankful for everything that had taken place and nothing seemed to be able to take her out of her happy place.

She pulled up to the hospital, right after an ambulance had. This was a normal occurrence, seeing as how it was a hospital after all. But when she stepped out of her car, her heart dropped when she saw her father being wheeled in on a gurney, paramedics rushing swiftly through the doors of the emergency wing.

Police officers followed suit, a standard procedure for inmates.

"Daddy?" She whispered to herself as she unknowingly lurched forward. "Daddy!" She suddenly began to run away from the main entrance and headed straight for the emergency wing, dropping her purse, keys and phone in the shallow snow beside the tires of her vehicle.

Her lungs burned from the crisp air, but that did not stop her. Within moments she was through the doors and close to catching up to the paramedics and her father. "Daddy!"

One paramedic glanced back briefly and looked her over. He recognized her immediately. "Doctor."

"What happened?" Tifa had finally caught up with them, and had taken her father's clammy hand. His skin was pale, and he looked so fragile. He was like a shell of what he had once been, such a contrast from the hearty man she had known growing up.

"He suffered a heart attack. Luckily for him the guard was nearby and performed CPR."

The head nurse directed them to a room and her father was removed from the gurney and placed on a proper bed. Angeal was first to the scene. "Nagano, why are you giving us such a scare, hm?" He did his best to lighten the mood, but judging by Nagano's charts things were looking quite grim. "I'm gonna order some tests, okay? You know the drill. Just try and take it easy. Tifa's right here with ya." His blue eyes locked onto Tifa's for a moment, and he gave her a knowing nod before exiting the room and leaving it to the nurses and Tifa.

* * *

"Was that Tifa?" Yuffie looked at Vincent from the passenger's side of his car as they pulled into the parking lot that morning. They had noticed her suddenly run into the emergency wing, right after getting out of her car.

Vincent nodded and secured his crimson scarf around his neck for warmth, glancing at Yuffie in the process. "It seems so."

Yuffie zipped up her jacket and exited the car. That's when she noticed Tifa's things scattered on the ground beside her car. She walked over and collected them thoughtfully. "What do you think happened?"

Vincent stooped beside her and helped her with the contents of Tifa's purse. "Someone she knew must've been rushed in. Judging by the police cars I would say it must be her father."

"You're right." Yuffie frowned and stood to her feet. "Well, let's give her time. I'm sure I'll need to cover for her upstairs."

Throughout the last two months, Vincent had formally invited Yuffie to move in with him. She was about to do so, since her lease to her apartment was finally up. The fact that Vincent asked her to move in was a slight surprise to Yuffie, but she didn't mind so much because she loved his home. And she also loved him.

Things in the maternity ward had not since cooled down, though. Doctor Raphsodos was still quite persistent. Continuously teasing her with playful banter much like the way Zack did Tifa. But Yuffie didn't quite appreciate it in the same way. Simply because to Genesis, it seemed as though there was not a clear boundary.

She hesitated to tell Vincent about it, since he didn't seem to be too bothered by it the first time she had mentioned his behavior.

"I'll see you at lunch?" Yuffie asked, pulling herself from her thoughts and putting Tifa's purse over her shoulder.

"Yes. And I'll look into what's going on with Tifa." Vincent placed a soft kiss on her cheek before the two of them walked into the hospital and went their separate directions.

When she arrived to labor and delivery, it was chaotic. Tifa had two patients waiting for a routine prenatal checkup, and one mother on the way who's water had broken.

"Yuffie! Have you seen Doctor Lockhart?!" Jessie frantically rushed up to Yuffie, her warm hair in a frizzy messy bun, likely from rushing around like a lunatic. "No one can find her or get ahold of her."

"Her dad is in the ER, I don't know anything more than that. Let's just try to get by without her right now. Let's forward the patients to Doctor Fair and Doctor Raphsodos." Yuffie tried to use her most sincere and calm tone, though inwardly she was panicking.

"Doctor Fair is delivering a baby right now, Doctor Raphsodos is booked with patients." Jessie's hands seemed to be shaking.

"Calm down. I know Tifa won't mind if I see her patients myself. I know what I'm doing. Let me get a room ready and you can send me her first one. As for the delivery, hopefully Zack will be done in time." Yuffie rushed to Tifa's office and set her things on the desk. She drew a deep breath to collect herself. You can do this! She knew that it was against protocol but she had to do it, it would be fine. Tifa would always cover her back and protect her, just like Yuffie was doing for Tifa now.

She made her way to an examination room and got things set up before the first expectant mother walked in.

* * *

Tifa had waited around thirty minutes by her father's side, agitated that the police officer insisted he be hand cuffed to the bed. She decided now would be a good time to call upstairs and let them know what was going on. "Can you watch him?" She whispered across her sleeping father to the nurse who was replacing his IV fluids. The nurse gave a kind nod before Tifa exited the room and walked to the nurses station.

"Things are covered right now Tifa. Yuffie has seen your first patient and is with he second right now. Mrs. Meyer is on her way, her water broke this morning." Jessie explained as calmly as she could.

"I'll be up as soon as I hear from Doctor Hewley." Tifa said breathily. She found herself continuously glancing in the direction of her father's room. Time had seemed to slow down, but her body was rushing to catch up. She felt anxious, shaky and worn down all at once. Something in her gut told her that this was not good.

"You don't worry Tifa, we'll take care of things." Jessie said before promptly hanging up the phone and continuing in her inward panic.

Tifa placed the phone back onto the receiver and headed back to her father's room before stopping when she saw Angeal walking toward her. The look on his face confirmed the feeling she had experienced in her gut.

"Well?" She managed to whisper despite the lump in her throat that grew increasingly uncomfortable with every passing moment.

"Tifa he's got congestive heart failure. He needs a transplant immediately." Angeal looked at her with a sympathetic gaze. "But because of his drug history.."

"There has to be something that we can do!" Tifa's voice cracked with desperation. This could not be happening, not her father. He might have made mistakes but he was still her father.

"Look, I found a match, there is a long waiting list but we can get this done. We just need Mr. Shinra to sign off on it." Angeal had been a lifelong friend of the family, and he wanted to help as much as he could but he wouldn't risk his job. If Rufus would approve, then surgery could be a go as soon as today.

"I'll talk to him. And Sephiroth is in, he could perform the surgery." Tifa was beginning to regain hope. "I'll be back!" She said before making her way across the lengthy building toward Mr. Shinra' office.

Rufus had become the permanent Chief of Medicine, despite the division of support amongst hospital staff. Tifa didn't mind him, in fact he had been behind the speediness of Marlene's adoption. She knew that it might be a stretch to ask him for something like this, but she had to try.

Tifa had arrived in his doorway and took a moment to catch her breath before walking in. "Mr. Shinra, do you have a moment?"

"I always have a moment for you, Doctor Lockhart. Is everything alright?" Rufus had stood from behind his desk the moment she had graced him with her presence. Tifa always made his heart race, and he always wanted to be at his best in front of her. Today, something seemed off about her. Her crimson eyes were red and puffy from tears, and she seemed winded and distraught.

He motioned for her to sit down in the seat across from his while urging Tseng to fetch her a cup of tea immediately. He then sat and listened as the beauty before him explained in detail what had happened to her today, and how her father was in desperate need of a heart transplant. Luckily enough, Angeal had located a match for Nagano right here in the hospital, the only thing that was left to put their plan into motion was the approval of the Chief.

* * *

"Baby's heart sounds great, Mrs. Young." Yuffie removed the doppler from her patient's belly and helped her sit up. "I'm sorry Doctor Lockhart can't see you this visit."

"Is everything okay?" The young woman asked as she delicately placed a hand upon her perfectly round baby bump.

"Oh yes. And it looks like you're measuring right on track, we'll make an appointment to see you in two weeks." Yuffie had to admit, being able to care for the patients as if they were her own, felt empowering. She was confident in herself, and her abilities. Both women that she had seen so far were in the middle stages of pregnancy, and neither of them showed any signs for concern. This made things easy.

And things were easy. Until Mrs. Meyer and her husband showed up and Tifa still had yet to be seen. Zack was still preoccupied with a labor that had proven to be quite lengthy and complicated, and now Yuffie was about to ask the person she wanted to talk with the least.

"Somebody help me! I'm about to have this damn baby!" The mother screamed as she clutched her stomach, riding out a painful contraction. Her frantic husband looked around helplessly.

"Come with me!" Yuffie made quick work of getting the poor woman into a room while asking Jessie to call for Doctor Raphsodos right away.

"Deep breaths Mrs. Meyer." Yuffie soothingly stroked the woman's hair while a second nurse hooked her up to IV fluids. "Let's check dilation."

 _Shit_. Yuffie thought to herself when she realized that this woman was not going to wait any longer for the babies arrival. Completely dilated and screaming in agony, the woman was ready to give birth immediately.

Without a second thought, Yuffie placed the woman's legs in the stirrups and positioned herself between them. She was going to have to deliver his baby on her own.

"Drugs! I need drugs!" The woman panted and sweated, while her husband cringed in pain as his hand was being wrung to death.

"I'm sorry love, it's too late for that. Now is the time to push!" Yuffie encouraged.

* * *

"You have my approval." Rufus said without hesitation. He watched relief wash over Tifa's face before he felt the shock of her body suddenly against his in a grateful and warm embrace.

"Thank you sir." Tifa pulled away quickly. "I'm sorry, you just have no idea how thankful I am for this." She gushed and tucked a stray piece of raven hair behind her dainty ear.

Rufus felt his cheeks flush with color and a smile crept onto his face. "You are very welcome." He replied. He know he was swayed very easily by anything Tifa said or asked. And he also knew that he should not have approved the procedure but he could not say no to her. "Tseng call up to surgery. Let's get this arranged."

Tifa made her way up to the surgical wing, she wanted to personally thank Sephiroth before the actual surgery took place. She knew her father wasn't out of the water just yet.

Sephiroth was seated behind the nurses station looking over a chart thoroughly, deeply embedded in his own thoughts when he saw Tifa walk up. A smile graced his face and he stood to his feet. "I've heard about what happened."

"So you know that he needs the transplant right away." Tifa reached over the counter and took his hands in her own. They felt cold, like usual. The expression on his face suddenly dropped. He was serious, looking at her as though she were just a family member waiting to receive news about a patient of his.

"I can't do the surgery Tifa." He announced quietly. "It's just against my principle's as a doctor. You know the rules, there are many other people who need that heart, it should not go to an addict."

Tifa stood there in shock, staring at the man that claimed to love and care for her. Right now, he was being a doctor. A typical surgeon being lead by his mind and intellect instead of his heart and emotion. "S-Sephiroth he needs the surgery, he'll die. You're going to be responsible for his death if you refuse this!"

"Don't you dare say that Tifa." Oh he was angry now. He dropped her hands and crossed his arms over his chest. "His habits have destroyed his heart, that is on him. I have my integrity to keep Tifa you are asking me to risk my job!"

Tifa clenched her fists tightly and narrowed her eyes. "This surgery has been approved by the Cheif of Medicine, your job is not in jeopardy!"

Now crowds were forming, watching the two go at it like they did when they first met. Neither seemed to care at this point.

"And why do you think he approved it

Tifa? Surely not because he's a man with morals."

"You're saying he only approved the surgery because he likes me?" Tifa blinked in disgust. Surely Sephiroth didn't mean what he was saying. Surely he would come around, and do the surgery.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. He's infatuated with you, everyone knows that. You're obviously too blind to see it. And you are also blinded by your emotions. Tifa, I'm not risking my credibility as a surgeon. There are too many deserving patients who are dying that could use that heart. There's no way in hell I'll let it go to an addict."

* * *

Yuffie took off her gloves and mask and watched in awe as the new parents stared adoringly down at their newborn baby. She had done it. She had just delivered a baby on her own.

"Looks like I'm late to the party." Came that smooth and peskily charming voice from the doorway.

"Doctor Raphsodos." Yuffie huffed. "I had no choice."

"No, you didn't. And you did a fantastic job." Genesis looked at her with only admiration. It had been incredibly brave of her to do what she did. Yuffie had a way about her. An attitude and an air and presence that he was simply intoxicated by. Today's events only made him feel that much more strongly.

"Thank you Doctor." Yuffie's cheeks flushed with color, not because she received a compliment from him, but because she was genuinely proud of herself for it.

Genesis proceeded to look over the patient and check for hemorrhaging. Everything looked great. Once he was sure of this, he took Yuffie aside. "You did such an amazing job. Really everything looked perfect."

"Thank you, again." Yuffie rubbed her arm uncomfortably and shifted.

"Listen, I'd like to take you to dinner. What do you say?" Genesis leaned against the wall casually, putting on his smoothest moves and demeanor.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I have a boyfriend." Yuffie let out a sigh. "Genesis I'm flattered, really." _Not really_ , she thought to herself. "But like I said, I'm taken." Yuffie turned to walk away, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"That doesn't matter to me." He cooed seductively in her ear."

Yuffie shuddered under his touch, the warmth of his breath just on the back of her neck and she noticed she was completely alone in the hallway with him. How was that possible? "Are you suggesting I cheat on him?" She spat bitterly as she yanked her arm away from his grip.

"That's up to you." Genesis smirked and looked at her disgruntled expression.

"No thank you." Yuffie thanked her lucky stars that Vincent just so happened to step out of the elevators at that exact moment.

"Is there a problem here, Doctor?"


	17. Chapter 17

Hello all! It's the weekend so I thought I'd crank out another chapter here. Thank you for those of you have recently reviewed. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it as well as enjoy hearing from you all! You make my day, really! I'm sorry this one is a bit shorter, still I hope you enjoy!

-B

* * *

Vincent's eyes narrowed as he thoroughly sized up the doctor in front of him. His posture, the look on his face and his demeanor said it all. He recalled having a conversation months ago with Yuffie regarding this particular Doctor, and the feeling he was getting now was simply not good.

Yuffie's posture told him everything he needed to know. She was closed off, arms folded securely over her chest and her shoulders were slouched downward. Her normal chipper smile and twinkling eye were replaced by tightly closed lips, a tightened jaw and eyes that didn't want to travel in Genesis' direction at all.

"No problem here, Mr. Chairman." Genesis scoffed, the smug look on his face never once seemed to change.

"There had better not be, let me make that very clear to you." Vincent had, unknowingly, pushed Yuffie protectively behind him. "If she is uncomfortable around you, if I hear that you've been doing or saying inappropriate things to the other hospital staff you can guarantee that you won't last very long as a resident."

"Oh my, it seems I've stepped on some very important toes." He replied with a half hearted chuckle. "Forgive me, Chairman. Have a pleasant day." Genesis waved a hand over his shoulder dismissively and carried on toward his office, clearly amused by the entire situation.

"What happened?" Vincent turned around to face Yuffie who was busy pushing the button for the elevator frantically. "Yuffie, he's gone."

She let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding and suddenly hugged the tall man beside her. "Thank God you showed up."

"Did he try anything with you?" Vincent placed a hand behind Yuffie's head while the other gently rubbed her back.

"He's just so persistent." At the toll of the elevator bell, Yuffie released Vincent and walked into the elevator with him. "He keeps asking me to dinner, and endlessly flirting with me. I keep telling him I have a boyfriend but it doesn't seem to stop him."

Vincent's jaw tightened, picturing the man's arrogant expression and snide remarks. He thought he wasn't quite the jealous type, but here he was, boiling over with envy. And maybe it wasn't so much envy as it was anger. Clearly Yuffie was doing her part. However, another man was continuously pursuing his woman and he did not like that at all. Simply because he wouldn't seem to take 'no' for an answer.

"I'll have him fired by tomorrow morning." Vincent resolved. The sooner he get rid of the pest, the better.

"No, Vincent. He's a good doctor." Yuffie sighed. She hated to have someone fired just for something silly like this, besides he was a good doctor and he helped out a lot.

"Then I'll have to keep an eye on him. If he does anything like this again I want to know about it."

* * *

Tifa felt as though she were looking at Sephiroth for the first time in a whole new light. She wondered to herself how he could be so selfish. There was no risk, his job would be safe. The responsibility would fall on Mr. Shinra should anything happen yet, here he was refusing to help her father because of his integrity. Had it been any one other than her father Tifa might actually praise Sephiroth for standing up for his beliefs, but not today.

She wanted to say something more, she wanted to fight tooth and nail for her father but it was absolutely clear that Sephiroth was not going to change his mind. There wasn't even an ounce of sympathy or concern behind his eyes. His expression was stern and unmoving, arrogance and stubbornness radiating off of him like a thick fog.

Profanities and nasty comments were dancing on the tip of her tongue, screaming desperately to escape and tear into his flesh, but Tifa kept her mouth shut. He didn't even deserve her breath anymore. So, she kept her head up high, turned on her heel and walked to the elevator.

To her surprise, Yuffie and Vincent were inside when the doors rolled open. Vincent's arm was draped over Yuffie's dainty shoulders and Yuffie seemed to be a little distraught. And Tifa could tell that Vincent was writhing with anger, simply by the look in his eye and his tense body posture.

She joined the pair in silence and the door slowly closed, and she watched Sephiroth disappear, neither one of them willing to look away until the door shut completely.

"Hey, is your dad okay?" Yuffie asked as she reached out and touched Tifa's shoulder.

It was then that Tifa broke down. She was safe with them, and the tears rolled down her cheeks as she explained to her companions everything that had happened. Yuffie provided Vincent with a rough translation when things got iffy between her sobs.

Vincent pulled a red silk handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to his cousin to dry her tears while Yuffie gently rubbed her back, and before they knew it they were on the first floor.

With Vincent's help, Yuffie escorted Tifa out of the elevator and to a bistro table at the cafe. "Tifa, I'm so sorry." She said as she reached across the table and took her friends hands in her own.

"I don't know what else to do, Yuffie. How could he do this? Why?" Tifa choked out. Everything she thought she knew about Sephiroth was shaping out to be a lie, or at least she felt as though she couldn't trust what she knew.

"Surgeons think they're God. They really do." Yuffie rolled her dark eyes. It was true. Surgeons always had a horrific arrogance about them, almost like they enjoyed toying with people. This was a prime example.

"Tifa, I'm going to make a few phone calls." Vincent said as he rose to his feet. He then knelt down and kissed the top of her head. A rare display of affection coming from him.

"Vinnie will take care of this, Tifa. He always does." Yuffie wasn't too sure he would actually help, because she knew he had a hand in removing her father from the hospital staff in the first place. But she had faith in him, that he would do the right thing.

* * *

Vincent knocked on Rufus' office door briskly, before hearing his voice calling out for him to enter.

"Ah, Vincent. What brings you by?" Rufus swiveled his chair in order to look at the man in the doorway.

"You approved a surgery that would be considered high risk, not to mention you went above the transplant list, and put Nagano Lockhart at the very top?" Vincent asked, looking at Rufus with half sustain and half confusion.

"Yes I did. Tifa's," he paused. "Doctor Lockhart's father is in need, to the point where he doesn't have much time at all. From what I understand, it's a matter of days now." Rufus was not threatened by Vincent in any way. There wasn't any possibility of him being removed from his position, not even Vincent Valentine could do that.

"Why did you authorize that, Rufus? Do you not know the protocol with patients with a history of drug use?" Vincent was now standing in front of the large monogamy desk, scrutinizing Rufus' every single movement.

Rufus was always excellent under pressure, in fact he may go as far as to say that he even flourished under pressure. "I certainly do. However, I am the Chief of Medicine and I have my reasons for authorizing this. If this is all you came to talk about, then you are dismissed." He waved his hand, as if to shoo Vincent away.

"No, it is not all I wish to discuss. Sephiroth is refusing to perform the surgery despite your authorization. I'd like to call in a thoracic cardiovascular surgeon in so that we can perform the surgery."

"That's quite a shock," Rufus smirked in amusement. "I thought you hated Nagano."

"It's true, I'm not that fond of him, however he's Tifa's father and she's experienced enough loss." Vincent explained.

"I happen to know an excellent cardiovascular surgeon by the name of Doctor Tuesti. I'll give him a ring immediately." Rufus had endless connections, which gave him an advantage in many things. However, the most interesting part of this equation was the fact that Tifa's very own lover had betrayed her. And Rufus, would once again come to her rescue.

"That's not all," Vincent said, looking down at Rufus as he sighed and placed the phone back down on the receiver.

"Go on."

"Doctor Raphsodos has to go."

* * *

"That was a shitty thing to do, Sephiroth." One of the nurse anesthetists mumbled to him before walking off in another direction.

The crowd that had formed to watch Tifa and Sephiroth duke it out had gone back to their work and Sephiroth remained in his place, looking at the elevator and wondering what it was that he had done. Certainly Tifa would come around to understanding why he chose to turn down the surgery. She knew the oath they took as doctors.

She would come to terms with his choice, surely she would. He loved Tifa, and admired her dearly. Their relationship was strong, so he thought. He did many things for her, he doted upon her with lavish gifts and romantic gestures. Any time she needed him he was there. She had to see that.

He was also angry, angry that she would ask him to do something so personal, and accuse him of being responsible if her father didn't make it. The audacity of her action truly irritated him. Tifa was stubborn, and Sephiroth was twice that.

Suddenly though, an overwhelming sense of doubt began to settle on him and he wasn't ready to lose Tifa yet.

"Doctor, there's a consult request for you in room 115."

* * *

"You should be with your dad, Tifa while you can." Yuffie had sat with Tifa for the last twenty minutes, offering comforting encouragements and an ear to listen. She'd never seen Tifa like this, in fact it was a bit alarming.

"You're right Yuffie, thank you." Tifa said before hugging her friend once more and standing to her feet. I'll call you if anything happens. And thank you so much for all your hard work today. I'm so proud of you." Tifa gushed and managed a thoughtful smile.

"Oh Tifa, I was just doing my job." Yuffie shrugged off the complement.

"No, Yuffie. You went above and beyond. I owe you for that and believe me I will make up for it." She smiled once more before making her way to be at her father's side.

Yuffie watched Tifa leave with a sad sigh. She was thankful that Tifa had recognized her hard work, but still overwhelmingly sad for her friend. Yuffie couldn't even wrap her head around the thought that Sephiroth would actually flat out refuse the surgery, especially to Tifa's face. He was asking to be forcefully removed from Tifa's life if you asked Yuffie.

"You wanna get some dinner?" Vincent's voice came and shook Yuffie from her gaze.

Yuffie stood from her seat at the cafe and greeted him with a smile and a nod. "What did Rufus say?" She asked as she linked hands with him and headed to the doors.

"He knows a thoracic cardiovascular surgeon and he's going to try and get him to come down to perform the surgery. For Tifa's sake, I hope he does." Vincent helped her into her coat before walking outside in the bitter winter cold with her.

They scurried across the parking lot and into his car with haste, desperate to get out of the harshness of the season. "I hope so too," Yuffie replied between the chattering of her teeth.

Vincent started up the vehicle and turned the warm air on and within a few moments the pair was warm again. "Shall we get something quick and get the rest of your boxes from your apartment? We can christen the house tonight?"

Yuffie giggled cutely and nodded her dark hair. "Okay handsome, let's do it!" And she meant that quite literally.

They pulled through the fast food joint and Yuffie rattled off her order to Vincent a few times until he finally got it right and they paid a few moments later.

Vincent handed her the paper bag and warned her not to steal his French fries with a chuckle, knowing that she would disobey his request.

And she did. She stole a few as they drove and she looked out the window at the night sky, the stars shone brighter in the clear winter air, that's one thing she liked about winter. Perhaps the only thing.

The two ate on the living room floor on top of a blanket, surrounded by boxes and packing paper. Even though it was strange, it was romantic in a special way. This was the starting point to the next step in their relationship. Yuffie was saying goodbye to one chapter of her life and ready to begin the newest chapter with a man that she cared for so deeply. Even if he was stingy with is French fries.

* * *

"Tifa." Nagano whispered breathily as he took hold of his daughters petite hand gently.

"Hi daddy," Tifa put on a brave face, looking down at her sickly father.

"You know that I'm proud of you sweetie, you know that right?" He asked as stroked her hand.

The fact that she was losing her father really sunk in right in that moment. Nagano had always been a little disappointed in her career choice, so for him to come out and say that he was proud of her was big. This was him making his peace with her, because he too knew the seriousness of his condition.

"You need to know something, kiddo. I didn't steal those drugs. I promise Tifa." He looked her square in they eye, not once did he waver in his gaze.

Tifa looked down at him and furrowed her brow, she could not tell if it was true or not but his expression seemed to point in that direction.

Before she had the chance to ask more about what he had meant, a tall and unfamiliar man walked in, clad in his light green scrubs. He had thick, dark hair that was combed back nearly, and facial hair that framed his mouth tastefully. His eyes were sparkly and charming and he had pearly white teeth that stood out handsomely.

"If it isn't old Nagano. That old ticker giving you troubles huh?"

"Reeve," Nagano smiled weakly at his old colleague.

The man extended his hand to Tifa gently and she shook it. "I'm doctor Tuesti, but you can call me Reeve. I'm an old friend of your dad's. I've heard so much about you Tifa."

"Oh, thank you." Tifa blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here?" She inquired, trying to piece together what was unfolding in front of her.

"He's a.."

"Let's get you a new heart, hm?" Reeve winked at Tifa and smiled. "We'll take good care of him kid."


	18. Chapter 18

Happy Wednesday, readers! Thank you for your continuous support and reviews! I appreciate them more than you know! Please continue to let me know how you feel! Sorry it's a little short, but I wanted to get something out to you!

-B

* * *

Yuffie awoke to the sound of the buzzing of her cellphone on Vincent's, well now it could be called her own, night stand. The light it emitted temporarily blinded her, but she somehow managed to swipe her thumb and answer the call. "Mm..Hello?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her free fist.

 _"Yuffie, it's Tifa. I'm so sorry to call but dad's still in surgery and Cissnei has a family emergency. Marlene sleeps through the night but would you and Vincent mind relieving Cissnei?"_ Came Tifa's voice on the other end of the line. She sounded exhausted and a little shaky.

"Oh Tifa, of course." Yuffie yawned and got out of bed, shaking Vincent to awaken him. "Give us twenty minutes." She said before hanging up. "Vince!" She huffed as she threw on a pair of pink yoga pants and yellow slippers. "Get up we gotta go baby sit Marlene."

Vincent groaned and sat up in bed with a grumpy expression on his tired yet beautiful face. If there was one thing in life that he hated, it was being awakened from his sleep, especially when he'd finally reached that deep, delta wave sleep right before REM sleep. "You're kidding me."

"Just hurry up!" Yuffie ordered before throwing Vincent a white t-shirt and a pair of black pajama pants.

He was too tired to catch the items, instead he let them hit him in the face and partially cover his head. "Yuffie I'm too tired for this." He whined. Vincent was never normally the type of man to complain, however when he was tired and deprived of his sleep, you could guarantee his inner toddler would emerge.

"Get dressed, we have to go now." Yuffie barked as she zipped up her coat.

After a few more minutes of whining and coaxing, the pair finally made it to the car and made their way to Tifa's home. Luckily, she didn't live too far. Yuffie shivered at the chilliness of the winter air, as they didn't face time to properly preheat the car before taking off. Though she always did enjoy being able to see her breath in the frigid air.

They pulled up to the house not long after and were greeted by a very thankful Cissnei. She instructed that Marlene had already been changed, fed and put to bed, so they needn't worry too much about anything. She had set the baby monitors up in the guest bedroom so they could hear if she did wake up.

"Thank you both," Cissnei whispered before sneaking out the front door and leaving Vincent and Yuffie in charge.

Yuffie couldn't resist the urge to look in on the tiny sleeping baby. She peered into the nursery and smiled to herself as she watched little Marlene's tummy rise and fall with deep breaths. She thought Vincent was right behind her but when she looked over her shoulder, he was gone.

She made her way across the hallway to the guest room only to find Vincent already sprawled out in the bed, shoes, coat and shirt discarded in a pile on the floor.

She shook her dark head and thought to herself that tonight she was looking after two children, not just one. She didn't really know what to do with herself. Part of her felt like she couldn't go to sleep, fearing that if she did she might not hear Marlene if she woke up, even with the assistance of the baby monitors. Another part of her knew that if she missed a night of sleep it could totally throw her off her schedule and that would be detrimental.

So she lay down next to Vincent, and soon she was asleep. When three A.M. rolled around, they were both awakened from their sleep upon hearing the sound of a crying baby.

For a moment Vincent had forgotten where he was, and he shot out of bed quickly. But soon he remembered and headed to the nursery where he found Yuffie already rocking the little child back to sleep.

Standing quietly in the doorway he observed her, softly humming a lullaby, looking down at Marlene adoringly. It seemed to come naturally to her. Perhaps it was all the years she'd spent swaddling newborns and presenting them to weary mothers, or maybe it was just an innate and instinctual womanly reaction. Whatever it was, it was simply beautiful.

* * *

Rufus made his way up to the surgical wing with haste. Hot fury boiling in his blood and coursing through his veins as he recounted what Tifa had told him about Sephiroth refusing to perform the surgery that her father needed immediately. If the man claimed to love Tifa, his actions certainly said quite the opposite.

There was no doubt, now, that Rufus admired and even longed for Tifa. For some time he denied, and could not quite define his feelings for her. However, in the last few moments with her, seeing the strong woman in such a vulnerable state truly sent him over the edge and now Rufus Shinra would get what he wanted.

"Tell me where Doctor Sephiroth is hiding." Rufus hissed to the weary looking nurse behind the receptionists desk in the surgical wing. Normally, Rufus was quite good at keeping his darker and uglier side of himself in check, but not today. Not now.

The nurse blinked before pointing him in the direction of the break room and he was gone within a split second. He rounded the corner and walked into the break room with his head held high, and an angry tightness in his jaw. "Sephiroth." He announced with a tone that could likely cause a shudder in any man.

Not Sephiroth. This was a man unmoved by fear or many emotions at all. When Sephiroth saw Rufus walk in, chest puffed out and a determined flame in his eye, he knew exactly what this was about. "So you've come to reprimand me?" He smirked and stood to his feet, standing very clearly over Rufus.

Rufus, however did not budge. He was a wise, tricky and at times rather devious man who planned many, many steps ahead. "Clearly you are mistaken, Doctor." He spoke smoothly, creating a false sense of security within the room. He managed a smile that looked rather genuine and he shook Sephiroth's hand firmly. "A Doctor with such strong convictions is hard to come by these days. I must commend you for standing up for what you believe is right."

Sephiroth too, was a wise man. And he could see past the front that Rufus was so elaborately putting up. "Thank you. However," he began, "I know that you've called in Reeve to perform the surgery. In fact, I've been keeping up with how things are going."

"Well, like it or not, Doctor, there are times when we must sacrifice our principals to help those in need, and also," he paused as a smirk crept its way across his face, "in order to get what we want."

A silver brow twitched, and Sephiroth looked down at Rufus with a look that could've melted the thickest of ice within a millisecond. "Stay away from Tifa." He warned, bearing his teeth like a wolf fighting for dominance.

"It's not like I'm seeking her out," Rufus chuckled nonchalantly, "she's the one coming to me...again and again. Oh," he paused again another deviant smirk finding its way across his lips, "and I don't disappoint."

* * *

Tifa paced the halls of the waiting room, her delicate index finger nervously tapping the paper coffee cup that she had clasped hun her hands. "Come on, come on." She whispered under her breath as her eyes continually darted toward the double doors she was expecting Reeve to have walked through quite some time ago.

Waiting had been so agonizing, and not being allowed in the OR because she was family was making matters painfully much worse. She tried to remain calm with breathing techniques but none of that mumbo jumbo was working right now. She was anxious, and ready to know if her father was going to be okay, or not.

She needed more answers. What did he mean when he said he never stole the drugs. Wasn't there surveillance footage? Tifa's father was not the type of man to lie, he simply wasn't. So what now, who would've wanted to frame him if he really wasn't responsible for the theft. There were millions of things flying through Tifa's mind and the last person on earth she expected to walk through the doors, suddenly did.

Sephiroth approached her slowly, uncertain of what he should say. He was still not going to concede to being wrong in denying the surgery, but perhaps Tifa needed some comfort.

"What do you want?" Tifa asked bitterly, looking him up and down as if he were a piece of garbage.

"I thought I'd check on you." He replied calmly, clearly outwardly unaffected by her icy demeanor.

"I'd rather not speak to you, you're actually making things worse." She turned away from him and tossed her coffee cup in the trash. Hearing him speak just made her sick. Who was he? She was beginning to think she hasn't the slightest clue.

"Tifa-" Sephiroth reached his hand out to touch her arm but stopped when he heard the double doors swing open.

All fell silent. Time stood still for a moment as Dr. Tuesti emerged and slowly pulled his surgical mask from his face. His eyes said it all, and he sorrowfully shook his dark head.

Tifa inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with both hands. Instantly, her eyes welled up with tears and her knees hit the cold hard floors of the hospital waiting room.

"I'm so sorry Tifa." Reeve approached cautiously and briefly looked at Sephiroth who appeared to be quite unsure of what to do.

Tifa sobbed, unable to utter anything that was coherent. Until Sephiroth tried to chime in.

"Tifa I am-"

"Go away!" She shoutedp, her voice lie and crackling. "I don't _ever_ want to see you again!"

* * *

"So, I'm not sure how much to make." Yuffie looked at Vincent with desperation as she gently bounced Marlene, who was crying hysterically, in her arms.

Vincent rubbed his weary eyes and scoured over the note left by Cissnei for the third time. They were exhausted. Since three, Marlene had been up four times. They managed to get her to sleep each time but this time, they decided perhaps she needed more than just a lullaby.

After changing her diaper they made their way to the kitchen to prepare a bottle. "It doesn't say how many ounces, just make a full bottle and see what she'll eat."

"But what if she doesn't eat it all, then that would be wasteful." Yuffie argued, continuing to bounce the baby and shush her every now and again.

"At this point, it doesn't matter Yuffie just hurry and make the bottle so she'll quiet down." Vincent said breathily.

Yuffie sighed and handed Marlene to Vincent and quickly threw an 8 ounce bottle of formula together, shaking it vigorously. But she stopped suddenly when she noticed something peculiar.

Marlene completely stopped crying the minute she was placed into Vincent's arms. It was like a flood of relief washed over the two of them, finally a moment of silence.

Marlene nuzzled herself into Vincent's chest and sighed contentedly. Yuffie sighed and frowned in frustration. "She seems fine with you."

"Maybe I remind her of Tifa." Vincent looked down at the tiny baby in his arms and let out a quiet chuckle as he watched her. Her chubby little cheeks, cute pouted lip and fuzzy dark black hair collectively made her the most adorable baby he had ever seen. Most people wouldn't ever question if she was adopted, because she did resemble Tifa.

"Humph," Yuffie pouted as she walked to the couch with the bottle and sat down tiredly. It wasn't long after that Vincent joined her with Marlene and he began to feed her. Marlene ate happily and Vincent and Yuffie looked at each other and both of them smiled and shook their heads. Even if this kid had kept them up at night, it couldn't put a damper on the feelings that they had for one another, and perhaps it even brought them closer.

Yuffie lay her head on Vincent's shoulder and giggled softly at the sound of Marlene sipping her bottle fervently, and grunting adorably after each gulp.

She was such a cute baby, and Vincent looked really good holding a baby. It was like spending this evening with him and a crying and fussy infant had been a small glimpse into their future, and Yuffie really liked the way that it was shaping up.

Vincent pulled the bottle away from Marlene when she fell asleep, mouth hanging open, milk dribbling out from the corer. He looked at Yuffie who was also asleep on his shoulder and he smiled.

Not wanting to wake either girl, he did his best to get comfortable, leaning on the arm of he couch a bit and closing his tired eyes. Not long after he fell asleep, drifting off into dreamland.


End file.
